When then-candidate Katie Hobbs was asked, during the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce AZ gubernatorial forum, what she had learned from Arizona’s Latino community, she had no ready answer. So it has been no surprise to many Latinos that the twice accused and court convicted racist Hobbs quickly responded to the recently passed “Tamale Bill” with yet another veto.
HB2509, affectionately known as the “Tamale Bill,” sponsored by Rep. Travis Grantham, would allow homemade food producers to sell refrigerated foods that included perishable ingredients like meat and eggs. The bill, which would eliminate regulatory hurdles that made life difficult for small business owners with limited incomes, passed with a bipartisan super majority.
Now, heavy-hitting organizations in the Latino community, including the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) and Conserva Mi Voto, are calling on Arizona legislators to override the Governor’s veto.
The NHCSL, the largest organization for Hispanic state legislators throughout the U.S., sent a letter to Speaker of the House Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen expressing support for their decision to attempt an override of Hobbs’ veto.
“We write this letter supporting Arizona’s HB2509, known as the tamale bill. We further support legislators in their efforts to override the governor’s veto. It is the right thing to do,” wrote NHCSL President New Jersey Senator Nellie Pou, herself a Democrat.
“In reaching this decision, our Executive Committee received a report that the state of Maryland adopted a similar bill in 2012 and in all that time has not seen any evidence of an increase in food-borne illness as a result, underscoring that the health concerns cited by the Governor in her veto are not well-grounded,” noted Pou.
In her veto letter, Hobbs claimed that the bill would increase the risk of food-borne illness but offered no evidence to support her claim.
“For many Hispanic populations, selling homemade food is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation. Many low-income Americans need to supplement their income in the face of disparities. It is a way to break the cycle of poverty. Today’s homemade food producers are tomorrow’s restaurant or nationwide prepared food business owners,” wrote Pou.
David Lara, President of Conserva Mi Voto and a small business owner himself, echoed Pou’s assessment.
“Many in our community fled anti-capitalist countries to this land of opportunity and freedom. To deny hard-working and productive members of this country access to the marketplace and to block them from joining the community of entrepreneurs is not only inhumane, but inane,” said Lara. “Governor Hobbs might prefer to have more people dependent on the system, but the vast majority of Latinos want to contribute to the system. They should be given that opportunity.”
Conserva Mi Voto, a group of first- and second-generation Latinos, is “dedicated to amplifying the voices of the growing Latino community in an effort to make a profoundly positive social, cultural, political, and economic impact while preserving those unique and important characteristics of our country of choice or birth – these United States of America.”
“It is currently illegal to sell homemade food in Arizona, which means that these families are unable to practice their talents to support themselves financially, without the penalty of unneeded law, and regulations hanging over their heads,” argued Pou in her letter. “We have seen paleteros, eloteros, and other street food vendors harassed throughout the country, simply for trying to make an honest living.”
“By signing this bill, the governor has an opportunity to support the Hispanic community and personal freedom that should be accessible to everyone. Our community should not fear legal repercussions for selling their homemade foods, and we urge Arizona legislators to do what is right and override her veto.”