Committee reports bill to name Hershey Kiss Pennsylvania’s official state candy

House Bill 1030, which would designate the Hershey Kiss as the official state candy of Pennsylvania, was reported out of the House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee by unanimous vote. Josh, committee staff, opened the item and summarized the bill: "House Bill 10 30 designates the Hershey kiss, the official state candy of Pennsylvania."

Sponsor Representative Frank Mahaffey (Representative) told the committee the idea began as a civics project by six students and emphasized Hershey’s economic and charitable ties to the commonwealth. "This is a sweet piece of legislation," Mahaffey said, adding that the measure now includes a clause to revoke the designation if the Hershey company relocates its legal headquarters out of Pennsylvania: "If the Hershey company moves, this is no longer the state candy. If they move out of Pennsylvania, sorry." Mahaffey also referenced the Milton Hershey School and Catherine Hershey programs, and noted recent private investment in local confectionery facilities such as a new Reese’s plant.

Committee Chair Representative James said he planned to support the bill. Representative Young asked whether there were actual plans for Hershey to leave the state, and Mahaffey replied, "No. That's just a hypothetical," saying concerns had arisen in prior years and the relocation clause was added in response. Representative Flick echoed support for the student sponsors, praising their persistence and involvement in the legislative process.

The committee called the roll and reported the bill as committed; the chair announced the vote was unanimous. The bill now proceeds to the full House and would require further consideration in both chambers before becoming law.

Votes at a glance: The committee reported House Bill 1030 as committed (reported out of committee); the chair characterized the committee vote as unanimous.