Hayli Martenez smiles with a pitcher of lemonade.

Mustafa Hussain/AP Images for Scholastic Inc. (Hayli Martenez); Shutterstock.com (background, lemonade)

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I Helped Create a Law!

Hayli Martenez, 13, changed how some kids do business.

March 28, 2022
By Hayli Martenez, age 13

Shutterstock.com

In 2017, I set up a lemonade stand outside my home in Kankakee, Illinois. I was 9 and I thought it would be a way to save up for college. I didn’t know it would change my life! 

My business, Haylibug Lemonadez, was a success. The local newspaper even wrote a story about it. Then in 2019, local officials told me to shut down my stand. They said I didn’t have a permit. That’s official permission to do something.

I didn’t think it was fair to stop a kid from selling lemonade on her front lawn, but I stopped.

Courtesy Office of Patrick Joyce

Sitting with Senator Joyce, Hayli spoke to lawmakers last year.

Speaking Up

My story inspired a county official to act. He wrote a bill, or a plan for a law. It would protect the right of kids to run lemonade stands. Illinois State Senator Patrick Joyce saw the bill and he liked it. 

Senator Joyce invited me to speak to lawmakers at the state capitol last March. I was excited. But I was so nervous! Then I remembered I was there to stand up for boys and girls. 

My speech worked! The law passed, and it was named after me. On January 1, 2022, Hayli’s Law officially went into effect. It says kids under 16 don’t need a permit to run a lemonade stand. 

I made history! And I’ll keep selling my lemonade. I hope my story encourages other kids. Don’t let anyone stop your dreams!

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