Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation that would have allowed home tamale vendors to become legal, paving the way for these workers to continue working underground.
Twelve Democratic lawmakers voted Tuesday against the governor’s veto override.
State House of Representatives bill 2509 was approved with the intention of legalizing this domestic work, expanding the artisanal food industry to include products sold on the streets daily, and providing safeguards for this sector.
However, despite the fact that the legislation was approved in the Legislature with bipartisan support, last week, the governor vetoed the measure on the grounds that they are a public health risk, such as the spread of infectious diseases.
In a 35-23 vote, the legislative process fell five votes short of overriding the veto.
The Telemundo report indicates that the majority of Republican legislators rejected Hobbs’ veto and distributed stickers outside the state Capitol on Wednesday with the slogan “Free the tamales” (Free the tamales). Some brought tamales to the compound in protest.
Under the now-dead-letter bill, food preparers were required to take a $10 online class, enroll in a public registry and label their products.
More than 15,000 people are registered with the state and licensed to sell homemade food.
However, those who support the measure to expand the Home Food Law argue that the current process for regularization is too costly and complicated for the majority of these workers, the majority of whom are immigrant women.
Consuelo Hernández, a state Democratic representative, offered her testimony of how her mother supported the family by selling cakes she baked at home after her father lost his job at a construction company.
“They called her the cake lady,” Hernández recalled as quoted by Axios. “If she hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have had gas in our car. We would not have been able to pay for the food. I am very proud of her, and I am very happy for what she did for us ”.
Despite being key to the economic sufficiency of dozens of Hispanic families in Arizona, state law establishes a fine of $500 dollars and up to six months in prison for those who sell perishable food prepared at home without having permits.
Republican representative Teresa Martínez, one of the promoters of the law, anticipated that she seeks to reach an agreement with the governor to present a new version of the law that addresses her public health concerns.