HB 1030 — An Act designating Hershey's Kisses as the official State candy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   1105

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                       HOUSE BILL
                       No. 1030
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY MEHAFFIE, CERRATO, DALEY, DAVIDSON, FLEMING,
        GREINER, HOGAN, JAMES, KERWIN, KHAN, MADSEN, MALAGARI,
        MARCELL, MENTZER, NEILSON, PROKOPIAK, REICHARD, SCHLOSSBERG,
        WARREN AND ZIMMERMAN, MARCH 24, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
        DEVELOPMENT, MARCH 24, 2025


                                   AN ACT
 1   Designating Hershey's Kisses as the official State candy of the
 2      Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
 3      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 4   hereby enacts as follows:
 5   Section 1.   Findings and declarations.
 6      The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
 7          (1)   The ship on the official Commonwealth flag
 8      represents commerce from all over the world, and The Hershey
 9      Company, commonly known as Hershey's, offers its candy
10      products for sale in approximately 85 countries.
11          (2)   Hershey's Kisses are one of the most iconic
12      chocolate products ever created by Hershey's and one of the
13      most recognized and beloved chocolate products around the
14      world.
15          (3)   Each day, more than 70,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are
16      produced in Hershey.
 1        (4)    Hershey's supports many aspects of this
 2    Commonwealth's economy, including supporting this
 3    Commonwealth's proud dairy industry for more than 125 years
 4    through the company's use of fresh dairy milk that surrounds
 5    the company's chocolate factories.
 6        (5)    Hershey's Kisses are one of the most popular
 7    packaged candy products for Valentine's Day, which is a day
 8    when many residents of this Commonwealth express admiration
 9    by gifting Hershey's Kisses to their loved ones.
10        (6)    Since 1907, Hershey's Kisses are the original
11    individually wrapped and portion-controlled chocolate
12    confection, which allows consumers to enjoy the treat at any
13    time.
14        (7)    The mission at Hershey's to "bring more moments of
15    goodness to the world" has a positive impact on individuals
16    and communities around the world.
17        (8)    Hershey's Kisses represent the official State
18    nickname of the Commonwealth, "The Keystone State," because
19    the candy's popularity acts as a keystone by providing
20    family-sustaining jobs to residents of this Commonwealth.
21        (9)    The globally beloved legacy of Milton Hershey and
22    the products he created transformed Hershey into a tourist
23    destination for visitors from around the world.
24        (10)    During the time when "kiss" was a common word for a
25    small piece of candy in 1923, Mr. Hershey had the genius idea
26    to trademark the term "Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses,"
27    which made the candy one of the most distinctive products
28    around the world.
29        (11)    Today, there are many different varieties of
30    Hershey's Kisses that satisfy a variety of different flavor

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1      preferences and expectations of consumers in this
2      Commonwealth.
3   Section 2.   Official State candy.
4      Hershey's Kisses are hereby designated as the official State
5   candy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in perpetuity, and as
6   long as the Hershey Company's address remains in the
7   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
8   Section 3.   Effective date.
9      This act shall take effect immediately.




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