I will definitely send a letter, but can't attend. (Got to be at work). Thanks so much for all of your hard work. I would love to see this make it through!

I just sent all pertinent information to my local cake and ICES groups. Let's keep our fingers cross that we will get the support of the all the members. in letter writing and/or appearances.

I just got an e-mail from someone at MD ICES group
- with a link to the bill and a petition to sign...

http://www.petitiononline.com/mdbake/petition.html

This is great--I'm just getting worried we won't have anyone to testify! Can anyone attend? I went last year and it was a great experience.

FYI- I just sent emails to Allegany College of Maryland and Frederick Community College (in addition to Anne Arundel Community College, which I had sent an email to previously). All 3 community colleges offer a degree in baking. I contacted the program directors whose names were on the websites. Hopefully they'll be supportive.

Dear fellow Marylanders,
My heart is jumping for joy at the prospect of having my "home" kitchen licensed. I am going into my 5th year and was just having the conversation with my husband(2 days ago) about taking the next step as I am running out of space and would like to build out my basement. This bill would help all of us tremendously and I will do whatvever I can to help GET IT PASSED ! Does anyone have the address of where the hearing will be??

For those who can testify at the hearing on February 16, 1 pm (please, attendance is a huge boost to our cause!!), the hearing will be in the House of Delegates, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis. It will be in the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Room 241. (You will come through the main entrance and go through security. You will need a photo id - drivers license is fine.) Across from where you come in is a set of elevators. Go to the 2nd Floor and when you come off the elevators turn right and walk toward the next opening. The committee room is in that opening. The room is on the left as you walk toward the stain glass window. It is clearly marked. You do need to email Delegate Love's office to let her know you will be testifying: [email protected].


Fo those who want to submit letters or handouts for the committee, please make sure HB607 is written on the document. Again, they can be emailed to [email protected].

Here's a quick modification of the letter we sent last year...Sorry it took so long - been shoveling out (like most of you, I'm sure! Didn't change a wole lot, except the bill number, and added a little bit about paying the registration dee, etc.
Hope this helps! Please, by all means, add your own personal message to this letter as well. I would imagine heartfelt, sincere comments would go a lot further than if we all send the exact same letter...

***********
Dear Delegate ______,

I am writing to ask for your support of House Bill 607, entitled Public Health - Sale of Baked Goods Private Home Kitchens. This bill will allow home bakers to sell non-potentially hazardous food from their home kitchens to individuals for individual consumption. HB 607 allows for additional tax revenue for the state, fulfillment of supplier and consumer need, and commercial parity with our neighboring states. Among many other reasons the bill should be passed, three main reasons to support this bill follow:

1. Increased revenue with negligible cost to local and state government.
Legalized home kitchens will have to adhere to the state food tax on all products sold, providing increased revenue base for Maryland. Additionally, the cost of registering with the local Health Departments would be revenue for local government. Furthermore, the home baker would be responsible for paying for the costs associated with opening a food establishment.

2. Fulfillment of supplier and consumer need.
For many bakers, opening a legal bakery is a catch-22: they want to know if they will have a customer base before spending resources to open a legal kitchen, but they must open a commercial kitchen to legally sell their products. In turn, many home bakers turn to illegally selling products from their residential kitchen. For these home bakers, the opportunity to prove to their clientele that they are legally recognized by the state would be a real boon to their business. Given that home bakers average a small quantity of goods each week and many are already operating, the impact on commercial bakeries should be minimal.

Similarly, many consumers have a desire to purchase homemade products from a local neighbor, and a legal certification would help consumers make more informed decisions. It would also support the growing movement for Marylanders to buy locally produced products, something, which, in this economy, would benefit many of your constituents.

3. Parity with neighboring states.
All four of Maryland's neighboring states--Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia--allow for the sale of food from home kitchens. New Jersey may also follow suit in the near future. Having a similar law will enable Maryland to remain commercially competitive with its neighbors, and keep homeowner and business owners in producing revenue for the State of Maryland, instead of taking their business elsewhere.

By giving Maryland residents the opportunity to earn money doing something that would provide a needed service to the public, and simultaneously benefit the economy and the state, you, our State Delegates, will be making such a positive impact on the State of Maryland as a whole. Thank you for your support of HB 607.

Sincerely,
Betsy Baker
Sweet Town, MD

I'm glad I joined this community when I did! I've been hoping for something like this to come up. I cannot attend the hearing as I'll be at my "other job", but I'm writing and signed the petition. I do hope this comes through for us!

Hi Jodie, congratulations on getting another bill!

Since I have some experience with this in Texas, I wanted to say something to everyon in Maryland who is reading this, thinking, "Well, *I* can't go, of course, but someone else will."

Live body support of your bill is critical. If no one shows up in favor of it, the only ones there will be against it, and that will be the testimony that the committee hears. If I'm not mistaken, one of the things Jodie was advised to improve upon for this year was getting more bodies in the room.

If being able to have a legal home bakery would change your life, or even just improve your life, then you need to rearrange your schedule to be at that hearing. These opportunities don't come along very often in life.

OK, I should just step AWAY from the computer late at night...
That should have read:
Here's a quick modification of the letter we sent last year...Sorry it took so long - been shoveling out (like most of you, I'm sure! Wink Didn't change a WHOLE lot, except the bill number, and added a little bit about paying the registration FEE, etc.


Remember everyone - send an email to all your friends, family, or anyone else that might benefit from your delicious baked goods - and tell them to write their delegates, too!! Let's inundate them with letters this year!

A silly question, but if I were to take some time out of my job to go testify, does anyone know how much time post-1 PM I should expect? Anyone who was there last year remember how long it took? I might be able to go if I can find some substitutes, but I cannot take off the whole day.

I'm working with my supervisor to try to take off for the hearing. It's annoying to take a vacation day (or half a vacation day if I go in the afternoon), but I want the bill to pass so I'm going to try to make it. Anyone else? I haven't heard anyone committing yet, so I'm just getting worried!

Last year the committee had us testify second because we were such a small group of people. Maybe the first group took 20 minutes, and then our group took about 15 minutes or so. The potential exists that we could be there late. However, given that our issue is relatively small, I expect we would be early in the afternoon.

Letters or handouts can include your personal testimony about why this bill is important to you (such as you have 3 kids at home and this can help supplement your income), why this bill is important to the state (tax revenue, fees to the health dept., payment to comminty colleges for ServSafe class, other revenue from starting a business such as insurance or advertising), etc. Show a picture of your birthday or wedding cakes and explain why you can't sell those types of goods at a farmers market. Really, as long as you include HB607 in the letter and explain why you want it to pass, it will be helpful!

Jodie, I'll be there, I'm just trying to figure out how to handle work. I'm an independent contractor dance teacher, so I don't have any vacation time, I just have to turn down my hours and give them to someone else. I'd like to give away as few hours as possible, but I don't want to cut it too short. Would you guess my odds at being back in Howard County by 5??

Good Luck Maryland! Sitting with crossed fingers in California!

Hi Nytepyre. Thanks for testifying! Make sure you email Delegate Love's office ([email protected]) to let her know that you plan to be there. I'm not sure about your odds of returning by 5. I think they're pretty good, and I sent an email to Delegate Love to ask. I looked at the hearing schedule for the afternoon (http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/hearsch/0204_hgo.htm#hgo100216), and our bill looks like the least controversial (the Prince george's County one, in particular, has received tons of press), so I anticipate they'll try to get us out of there quickly and move on to more pressing matters.

Jodie,

I'm going to really try to get that day off. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but with the days off (I work for the school system) and kids off, I'm not sure. I'll have to verify with my boss later this week (hopefully Thursday?? or am I being thinking too positive!) How late can we let Delegate Love know that we will be there?

For anyone who wants to come....I did it last year and it was a little nerve wracking at first, but I felt so proud of myself for doing it. Jodie, Brandy and I were the only ones testifying but we did have a few in the crowd also. I agree that the bigger the group the better. We want them to take us seriously.

I have been so busy this morning sending email to all my friends about this matter. They have been so supportive. They sign the petition so our state can have a home bakery especial for us stay at home moms. We Rock and so do CC for giving all the information on this matter Thank you guys you all a so awesome

Not sure if it will help, or if he will be supportive or not, but I just emailed Duff Goldman to explain the bill and ask for his support. I provided him with contact info for Delegate Love, and told him I was hopeful he would understand, having started out himself making cakes on his coffee table in his apt. in Baltimore....worth a shot, I guess! We'll see...
Off to email everyone in my address book!!

I just made a Facebook page to support the bill. (do you think this is ok? I hope so!)
If you are on Facebook, do a search for We support the 2010 Maryland House Bill to legalize Home-Based Bakers
Hopefully it will pop up. Maybe just another way to get the word out to friends, etc.

So, being snowed in has given me lots of time to think about this...
I've been getting some positive feedback from a lot of friends and family, and even a personal letter to friend who is a high-ranking state politician...(hoping he will call his buddies on the committee and talk to them!
Also, I know a lot of us are on Facebook - so be sure to join the group, I figure it's more fuel for the fire!
Happy snow week!

The facebook page is great! I'm actually not on facebook, but I think it will help to get information out there. Thanks for setting it up!

I still haven't heard back from Delegate Love to see whether we are still on for our testimony on February 16. I don't know if they change schedules around due to the snow days.

Ok...when you find something out, let me know Jodie...I have a contact at a newspaper in So MD who can get an editorial in for Wed for us if the hearing gets pushed!

Hi all! I just spoke with Kay Reiser from Delegate Love's office, and the hearing is still on for February 16 at 1 pm. Unfortunately, due to being off from work this past week, I cannot take off on Tuesday and attend, which is devastating to me. I will submit a letter for the committee packet.

Kay has over 1100 emails that she needs to go through from the past week, and she asked for some help from us all to go through her stuff. Some important things Kay asked me (please read!!):
-If you will testify, can you PM me your full name and phone number? Kay would like a list. I can send her a combined email so that she can find the information quickly, even if you have already email her. You can call her office at (410)841 -3511 if you prefer.

-If you have sent or will send a letter to be included in the package for the committee, please resend it to Delegate Love's office ([email protected]) so that it is on the top of her email. You can also call the office and let them know the day and time the email was sent. You can also send a copy of the letter to me or just email me the date/time you sent Delegate Love the email, so that I can compile everything and send one email to her office.
Letters need to be submitted by Monday morning so they can be included in the committee packet!!

Hi all. Here's the letter and handout I plan on submitting. I will also make a pdf of the petition and send that to Delegate Love as well.

Honorable Delegates,
I am asking you to support HB 607 to allow the sale of baked goods from a private home kitchen. Did you know it is currently illegal for a Girl Scout troop to sell homemade treats through a bake sale? Did you know it is currently illegal for a stay-at-home mom in Maryland to sell a birthday cake to a neighbor, although it is legal for someone in our neighboring states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia to sell a cake from a home kitchen? It is legal for me to sell items baked from my home kitchen at a farmers market, but can you imagine creating a 5-tier wedding cake and bringing it to the farmers market with the hope that a bride will walk by and purchase it? The passage of HB 607 will erase these inequities and provide an opportunity for stay at home parents, people who need extra income, or even someone like mea full-time worker, also attending Anne Arundel Community Colleges Baking and Pastry program, with a dream of opening a bakery one dayto earn some income while we explore our own business potential.

HB 607 provides for increased state revenue, fulfillment of consumer and supplier need, and parity with neighboring states. The highlights of the bill are designed with safety in mindit requires all registered home bakers to pass the ServSafe course, all items must be non-potentially hazardous, all private kitchens must be made available to the Department of Health for inspection if requested, and all items must clearly be labeled with ingredients and a statement that they were made in a home kitchen, have not been inspected, and are not for resale. The bill also provides financial incentives to the statethe Department of Health can set a registration fee that it determines as appropriate, and the state will also receive tax revenue from the home bakers.

I appreciate your consideration of HB 607, and I urge your strong support for the bill.


Reasons to Support HB 607
1. Increased Revenue with Negligible Cost
Increased revenueState would receive 6% sales tax from every sale.
Increased revenue-Department of Health will receive a registration fee as determined by the Department.
Increased revenueHome baker would be required to pass the ServSafe course; community colleges would receive tuition from bakers taking the course.
Negligible costHome baker would be responsible to pay for business license, tax ID, etc. No drain on the time of state employees.

2. Fulfillment of Supplier and Consumer Need
HB 607 allows home baker to determine if s/he has a viable business and to develop a customer base before opening a commercial outlet.
Many home bakers already distribute goods out of their home kitchens; being legally recognized would be a boon to their businesses.
HB 607 allows constituents a legal way to earn additional money.
Becoming legal will allow home bakers the opportunity to advertise, participate in bridal shows, etc.
Consumers want to help out local neighbors and friends by purchasing home baked goods.

3. Parity with Neighboring States
All four of Marylands neighboring statesDelaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginiaallow for the sale of food from home kitchens.
In all, 23 states or counties in states allow for the sale of baked goods from home kitchens.


Success Story
Duff Goldman, owner/executive chef of Baltimores Charm City Cakes and star of the Food Networks Ace of Cakes, began by baking and selling out of his home for 3 years.

Rebuttal to Possible Concerns with HB 607

1. Health Concerns
HB 607 specifically limits items sold to nonpotentially hazardous baked goods.
Because all home bakers will be required to pass the ServSafe course, the Department can be assured that the baker knows proper food sanitation. Note that currently all restaurant workers are not required to pass the course, only restaurant managers. This requirement for home bakers is more stringent.
All baked goods sold are required to include a list of ingredients and a label that states the baked goods have been produced in a private home kitchen; have not been inspected; and are not for resale.
It is currently legal for Maryland farm owners to sell baked goods at farmers markets without inspection (COMAR 10.15.03.27). The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) is revising the law to allow for baked goods made in any private kitchen to be sold at farmers markets. Clearly, the DHMH is not concerned about the health issues from selling baked goods from a private kitchen, as long as the consumer is aware.
HB607 allows Department of Health inspections if they have reason to believe the home kitchen is being operated in an unsanitary manner. This inspection cost would be offset by the registration fee.
Most home bakers will initially be selling to friends and friends of friends, so there will be an initial connection to the consumer. If the consumers don't trust the cleanliness of the home baker, they won't buy from the home baker in the first place.
By legalizing home baking, the consumer has legal protections in case a health issue does occur. In turn, the home baker can buy insurance to protect against potential legal action due to health concerns.

2. Zoning Issues
All legal home bakers would have to comply with local zoning laws or home owners association bylaws.
In terms of increased traffic to the home bakers residence, there should be no difference as compared to other legal home businesses such as computer repair, Tupperware party sales, etc.
Home bakers can deliver their goods if zoning laws prohibit sales at the residence.

3. Increased Competition to Retail Bakeries
The output of a home baker should be minimal compared to a retail operation.
Many of these home bakers are already providing baked goods to friends and families. HB 607 would allow for the transaction to become legal.

VERY well written Jodie!!
I think we do need to address the whole 'bake sale' issue...one of my friends wrote to our delegate (who shall remain nameless.....for now.... ) and basically got a nasty-gram back...

"(Friend's First name)-I doubt this bill will get out of committee. I probably disagree with you that this would be a good law. Everybody selling something at a church or school bake sale would have to get certified and would have to jump through all these hoops. If the bill gets out of committee I will take your e-mail into consideration before I vote on it."

SOOO.....interestingly enough, he was not super supportive last year, but the return letter I got wasn't nasty either...I am hoping maybe he's just cranky from the snow? would this bill mean that if a church has a bake sale they have to be licensed? (I know right now they are just sort of politely 'overlooked' by the HD, as are schools, etc. and other non-profits...but one point about it: they are also TAX EXEMPT, which would mean no tax revenue for the state anyhow...

In any case, I will finalize send my letter tonight. I may borrow some of your points and add them to my letter, if you don't mind, Jodie??...won't copy it, I think the more different letters they have, the better! But I think you made some excellent points about the benefits to the state.

Incidently, for those of you not on Facebook....we are up to 150 fans! yay! I will also compile all the comments, etc. from that page and email that to Kay as well.

I WISH I could go...I realize it is huge detriment to not have a lot of people there physically...hopefully our letters will help?

Thanks again, Jodie!!

-D

Wow, what an awful email. And an uneducated email. Right now it is illegal to have a bakesale. The state of Maryland can certainly change that. I know that churches can apply for a permit or something similar to hold a bakesale at a nominal price. Are they doing that? Probably not. But to say that everything has to go through hoops just seems wrong. So rather than go through hoops, the only option is to be illegal or to never hold bakesales? What is the delegate's solution? Maybe make that point in your letter

Feel free to use whatever in your letter. The more letters they get, the better. And that's awesome about Facebook--way to go!

So I can't get anyone to cover me at work, I'll have to leave Annapolis by 3:30 at the latest. I hope we get heard early *crossing fingers*, also I'm starting to get nervous??