HARRISBURG — Hershey's Kisses are on their way to becoming Pennsylvania's first official candy.
The iconic chocolate may become the state’s first and only official candy, thanks to a group of Bucks County high school students who prepared and lobbied for legislation to recognize the central Pennsylvania-made sweets.
Students at Newtown Middle School began lobbying for the proposal as part of social studies class last year. Their efforts made it to the state Senate on Wednesday, clearing the first hurdle to officially recognizing the flat-bottomed teardrop chocolates as Pennsylvania's top sweet.
Lawmakers applauded the now-high school students for their efforts learning the legislative process to set the proposal on track to becoming law. It passed the Senate State Government committee 10-1. Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, was the only opposing vote, because he has three chocolatiers in his district, he said.
These candies make a “profound impact” on Pennsylvania’s economy and dairy industry, said Sen. Maria Collet, D-Bucks, who sponsored the bill.
The Hershey Company produces 70 million Hershey’s Kisses each day, according to its website. It has been making the bite-sized chocolates since 1907, only stopping production for a few years during World War II due to an aluminum ration.
“It’s evident that Hershey’s Kisses have a deep influence on the story of the commonwealth,” Ms. Collett added during the committee meeting.
Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, said Pennsylvania’s chocolate economy runs through all of the state’s 67 counties.
“It is a truly Pennsylvania thing,” Mr. Street said. “All of us enjoy the taste of a Hershey’s kiss.”
Lawmakers from other parts of the state, however, already had their proposals for the state candy runners up: Sen. Kristen Philips-Hill, R-York, said she wants the York Peppermint Patty as a runner-up, and Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, said he wants Wilbur Chocolates as a potential candidate.
The legislation has a number of hurdles it’ll need to survive before the Kiss becomes the state’s official candy. It still would need to pass the full Senate and House before reaching Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk before the end of the legislative session this year.
Students from the so-called “Kiss Committee” attended Wednesday’s meeting and said they were excited to see a bill they helped draft move through the legislative process.
“It’s amazing to see some of our work make some progress in the legislative process,” said Elaine Liaw, a freshman at Council Rock North High School and Kiss Committee member.
This experience has encouraged the students to pursue careers in public service — though they have a number of years before they need to make that decision, said Emily Kennedy, another freshman and Kiss Committee member.
“As we’ve moved through [the process], it’s much more of a possibility, and it's a pretty cool job to have,” Emily added.
Gillian McGoldrick: gmcgoldrick@post-gazette.com
First Published: April 6, 2022, 9:05 p.m.
