The state House of Representatives voted earlier this week to advance a bill that would designate Hershey’s Kiss as Pennsylvania’s official candy, writes Nate File for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
However, progress was a long time coming. The Bucks County eighth graders who originally drafted the bill in their civics class are now nearing high school graduation, said the bill’s prime sponsor, State Representative Thomas Mehaffie.
Mehaffie added that the Kiss is a good symbol for Pennsylvania and noted that Hershey has served as a good corporate citizen for decades. Last month, the company announced it was opening a new chocolate processing facility in Dauphin County.
“Seventy million Hershey’s Kisses are made every day with local milk,” said Mehaffie.
While it took the bill a long time to reach this point, Mehaffie believes there is a lesson for the students.
“In Harrisburg, there is gridlock, and things happen slowly, but what I want them to take away from this is hard work, and perseverance leads to the right thing, eventually, being done,” he said.
The students continued advocating for their bill even after leaving Newtown Middle School and moving on to Council Rock High School North.
Click through to The Philadelphia Inquirer to read how a group of Bucks County students turned a sweet idea into real legislation, years in the making.
