Committee backs raising Homemade Food Freedom Act cap to $300,000, sponsor says no state fiscal impact

A House committee voted unanimously to report a committee substitute (PCS) for House Bill 3280 that would raise the maximum annual revenue a home-based food business may earn under the Homemade Food Freedom Act from $75,000 to $300,000.

Sponsor Representative Hall said the bill "intends to allow entrepreneurs to get their business off the ground without having to manage the sometimes high cost of licensing and inspection regulation." Hall explained the change is meant to let businesses grow to a size where complying with licensing and inspection requirements is financially feasible; he used a 20% profit-margin example to show how a $75,000 cap yields limited net income for scaling.

On fiscal impact, Hall told the committee, "There should be no fiscal impact to the state at all," clarifying the bill does not exempt taxes; it only raises the revenue cap under the program. Members asked several technical questions about food-safety categories. Hall said existing distinctions between time-and-temperature-controlled-for-safety foods (perishables) and nonperishables remain unchanged: perishable items must be sold or delivered directly to consumers with no intermediary, while nonperishable goods may be sold through retail outlets. The PCS does not alter those food-safety rules, only the caps.

The clerk recorded a 9–0 vote and the chair directed the sponsor to obtain a senate author and submit the required one-page explanation form before full committee consideration.