MADISON- Last week, a statewide ban on selling home-baked goods was found to be unconstitutional. This week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has decided to take that logic to the extreme. The Bakery Freedom Act seeks to eliminate licensing procedures and safety inspections on bakeries in Wisconsin.
The Bakery Freedom Act is especially interesting because of Vos’ previous actions which stopped the passage of the so-called “Cookie Bill,” which would have allowed up to $7,500 worth of homemade baked goods to be sold without restriction. Vos killed the bill in the assembly, and his actions had the support of The Wisconsin Grocers association, and other commercial interests who would lose profit if homemade goods entered the market. These same commercial interests stand to gain the most if Wisconsin removes licensing and safety regulations on bakeries.
Hope Kirwan at Wisconsin Public Radio reports:
Less than a week after Wisconsin’s ban on selling home-baked goods was ruled unconstitutional, one legislative leader wants to do away with all licensing of bakeries.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is circulating the Bakery Freedom Act for co-sponsorship. The bill would eliminate requirements for commercial bakeries to obtain a license and undergo health safety inspections.
In a co-sponsorship memo, Vos said the bill would “level the playing field” after a Lafayette County judge ruled last week that Wisconsin’s laws preventing the sale of homemade baked goods were unconstitutional.
Commercial bakery owners support the measure, saying licensing and safety laws should be based on what the producer is making, not the size of the operation.
Read more at Wisconsin Public Radio.
