Hi,

The Unites States has a "government of the people, by the people, for the people". At least, that's what I was taught in school. But Lincoln's vision for his country still remains more of an ideal than a reality in some areas today.

One such failure of democracy is currently brewing in New Jersey, where one man stands between hundreds of home cooks and their entrepreneurial dreams. Over the years, I have seen many forms of opposition to cottage food laws, but none as monarchical as this.

One of New Jersey's senators, Joe Vitale, has been using his powers as the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee to block all of his state's cottage food bills from passing. Why? Because he does not personally agree with legalizing the sale of homemade food.

These modest bills have been getting unanimous approval by the assembly, who forward them to his committee. Apparently, Senator Vitale doesn't trust his committee to make the "right" decision, because he refuses to even let his committee vote on them. Instead, the bills quietly die in their legislative session.

But the will of the people cannot be quieted forever. Support for cottage food laws has been growing in New Jersey since the creation of their first bill in 2009. I have always been impressed by their efforts, which have included social media campaigns, petitions, and even supporter t-shirts and badges.

This year, however, has been a breakout year for New Jersey. Increased transparency of Vitale's solo mission to prevent cottage food has spurred citizens to take a stand, and I've witnessed a major push from them over the past few months. They have introduced two brand new cottage food bills, built a new website, started a newsletter, and most recently, created a new petition.

I encourage you to sign New Jersey's petition. I don't know if it will change the outcome of the bills this year, but at the very least, it shows a small token of support for the efforts they have been making.

I can feel the momentum gathering in New Jersey, and progress is being made. I hope they get a cottage food law sooner than later... they sure deserve it!

Keep cooking!

David

P.S. NJ's new petition starts with a powerful personal story that I think you'll want to read.