ADVOCACY

HB 287: Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations Act was introduced in the Georgia General Assembly on February 7, 2023. The bill is sponsored by Representatives Mandisha Thomas, Pedro Marin and Kim Schofield. 

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The bill defines the terms, granting administrative authority to the Georgia Department of Health to build the regulatory framework, sanitation, equipment, and maintenance requirements for microenterprise home kitchens, and grant administrative authority to local health departments to:   

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• Create and issue Microenterprise Home Kitchen permits

• Charge fees for issuing permits and inspecting premises

• Annual Inspections of Microenterprise Home Kitchens

 

The legislation is modeled after the groundbreaking, unanimous, bipartisan supported, new law in Utah (H.B. 94 Microenterprise Home Kitchen Act), which allows home chefs to sell homecooked meals directly to the public, legalizing a home-based business. It creates a pathway to work with the health departments on a regulatory framework for safe operations.

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Legalized home-based cooking businesses can help people who have been impacted by the pandemic survive financially. Similar legislation was passed in Riverside, California on May 6, 2019. As of July 2021, more than 200 permitted Micro-Enterprise Home Kitchens are operating, with no Food Borne Illnesses or Code Violations reported. The cost of each permit is $651 dollars, generating $130,000 dollars in revenue.