House Agriculture committee finds H-401 favorable, changes fees and clarifies exemptions for food manufacturers and home bakers

The House Agriculture Committee voted to find H‑401 favorable at the committee meeting, advancing a bill that revises licensure fees and clarifies exemptions for food manufacturing establishments and home bakeries under Title 18.

The bill moves the income threshold that triggers higher licensure fees and separates home-based operations from other small manufacturers for fee and exemption purposes. Committee members and staff said the change aims to remove an ambiguity in existing cross-references between nonbakery and bakery exemptions and to align exemptions with updated fee tiers.

Under current statutory language described to the committee, nonbakery food manufacturers with gross annual receipts between $10,000 and $50,000 were charged a $175 license fee, and those over $50,000 paid $275;…