Hershey's Kisses Bill Written By Council Rock Students Passes PA House

HARRISBURG, PA — Legislation introduced by a group of students from the Council Rock School District to make Hershey's Kisses the official candy of Pennsylvania passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday.

House Bill 1030 was first proposed by a group of Newtown Middle School students in 2021. The students are now juniors at Council Rock High School North in Newtown.

The Hershey Kiss Committee members continued to advocate for their bill after graduating from NMS, contacting the Hershey Company, working with the bill’s prime sponsor, State Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), whose district includes the famed chocolate factory, visiting the capitol, lobbying legislators and publicizing their journey in the media.

“Three years ago I met with the members of the Hershey Kiss Committee at Newtown Middle School," said State Rep. Perry Warren whose Bucks County district is home to the Council Rock School District. "These students of NMS teachers Rick Loughran and Matt McCarthy and I brainstormed as to how to turn their idea into a law. The Hershey Kiss Committee wrote the proposed legislation and embarked upon their quest to designate Hershey’s Kisses as the state candy of Pennsylvania,” Warren said.

Moving forward, Warren added, “Today, three years later, these students, now juniors at Council Rock High School North, were in the Hall of the House for the vote on H.B. 1030. After a surprisingly heated debate, the bill passed by a vote of 130-71. Congratulations to the Hershey Kiss Committee.”

Mehaffie’s House Bill 1030 is now headed to the Senate for consideration.

“I’m hopeful that we can get an expedited review and vote in the Senate not for my sake, but for the teenagers who wrote this bill as part of their civics education,” Mehaffie said.

If enacted as law, the measure would designate Hershey’s Kisses as the state candy of Pennsylvania. It would join other state symbols like the state animal (white-tailed deer) and state flower (mountain laurel). In 2019, 20 high-schoolers obtained state amphibian status for the Eastern hellbender salamander.

“Symbols matter,” Mehaffie said. “This symbol would acknowledge not only that the Kiss is recognizable worldwide and made right here in Pennsylvania, but also that the entire community of Hershey was built on the manufacturing innovation and charitable legacy of Milton and
Catherine Hershey. Their impact continues in many ways, not the least of which is the
world-class, free education provided by Milton Hershey School and the newly developed Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.”

From left are State Rep. Perry Warren, Rep. Kristin Marcell, Rep. Tom Mehaffie and students from Council Rock School District.