News of Hayli’s shutdown spread and caught the attention of an official in the county government. Inspired by Hayli’s story, he drafted a bill, or a plan for a law, that would make it easier for kids to run lemonade stands. The bill landed on the desk of Illinois State Senator Patrick Joyce, who agreed to sponsor it.
Joyce invited Hayli to speak in support of the bill to a committee of state senators in March 2021. Hayli and her mom drove nearly three hours to the state capitol in Springfield, Illinois. They even brought samples of Hayli’s lemonade so the lawmakers could try it.
Although Hayli was excited to get the chance to tell her story, she was worried about addressing the group of senators.
“I was so nervous that my voice started to quiver,” she says. “I was talking extra fast, and I was running out of breath!”
But Hayli quickly gained confidence when she remembered who she was there to represent.
“I wanted to stick up for the little people, for boys and girls,” she explains.
Hayli’s speech was convincing, and the bill eventually passed in both parts of the Illinois General Assembly: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Last July, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law. Hayli’s Law officially went into effect on January 1 of this year. It allows kids under 16 in Illinois to sell lemonade and other drinks without a permit.
“I made history!” Hayli says.