Hi there,

Congratulations to Oregon!

Oregon is one of the last few states that has the poorest ranking on Forrager's map,* but that will change next year (starting January 1st).

Oregon's governor just signed SB 643, which likely will be the biggest cottage food amendment we see this year!

Their new bill is a major overhaul to their current restrictive law. It increases the sales cap, majorly expands the allowed foods, allows online sales and shipping, allows some types of indirect sales, and removes the home address requirement. It will also allow a domestic kitchen to have pets in their home, removing a major barrier for Oregon's more complex law.

It's a huge win all around, and I know they faced some opposition to get it passed.

I'd like to give a big shout out to Jenny Berg. You might remember hearing her on Episode 74 of my podcast.

Without Jenny's effort, I'm not so sure Oregon would have passed an amendment this year.

Back when she started her business in 2021, Jenny was frustrated by the limitations of her law, but didn't know how to change it.

But she was proactive. She reached out to the Institute for Justice and the COOK Alliance, contacted representatives, and helped start a Facebook group for Oregon. All were instrumental in making this year's bill a reality.

But it took a good dose of patience. The Institute for Justice helped her initiate a bill last year, but it was simply too late in the legislative session by that point. If you listen starting at the 24-minute mark of her episode, you can hear about what she learned last year, and her hopes for this year's session.

And now, after a year and a half of effort, they have a new and much improved law!

Jenny is the latest example of a regular citizen wanting to change a cottage food law and helping make it happen.

And it's happened many times before. Kelley Masters in Texas is the earliest example I can think of. Other notable examples are Lisa Kivirist in Wisconsin (Episodes 5 & 81), Jennifer Lopez in Kentucky (Episode 16), and Shelley Erickson in Minnesota (Episode 45).

If you are also frustrated by your cottage food law and would like it to improve, I hope that stories like Jenny's will inspire you to be proactive too!

Until next week,
David


* To be fair, Oregon's map ranking doesn't give a complete picture, because they also have a "domestic kitchen and "farm direct" law. But due to the restrictions those have, the vast majority of cottage food businesses in Oregon operate under their basic law. In the future, I plan to improve Forrager's map to account for when a state has multiple laws.