Children’s Restaurant Beverage Menu Bill Still Lingering

It's been revised now, apparently to decrease the penalty (What?!?).

House Bill 2383, sponsored by Vancouver's Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver) would-if passed-not only force restaurants to eliminate sodas and sugary drinks as the 'default' beverage with children's meals, but it would include penalties for violations.

A newer version of the restaurant menu bill has been reintroduced, after the initial version got bumped out of committee.

According to a synopsis of the bill prepared by non-partisan legislative workers, this is the summary of the bill:

"Requires that restaurants that sell children's meals offer water, unflavored milk, or a milk alternative as the default beverage option with the meal."

The child or parents can still request soda, but if the establishment doesn't offer the previous options by "default" (being the only thing on the menu) they can get fined.

The revised version of HB 2383 reads as follows (from the synopsis):

"...changes the penalties imposed for violations of the default beverage rules to a written warning for the first and second violations within a five-year period, and a monetary penalty of up to $200 for each subsequent violation within a five-year period; limits the total penalties that can be imposed on a restaurant for violations to $400 per year; and adds an effective date of January 1, 2021."

Stonier has introduced a number of 'interesting' bills that make one wonder if her children live in a plastic bubble....really!

To see the synopsis of the newer version, click on the button below.