After the Illinois House of Representatives approved a measure to make pumpkin pie the official pie for the State of Illinois, the legislation moved to the Senate for consideration.
While pie might not seem like a serious issue, the economy of pumpkin production is a big deal in Illinois. The bill was originally introduced in January 2015 by State Representative Keith Sommer of Tazewell County, which is home to the unofficial capital of the pumpkin trade in the U.S. Sommer’s hometown of Morton hosts an annual pumpkin festival to celebrate the harvest.
Illinois is the top-producer of pumpkins in the U.S. and, according to the University of Illinois, 90 percent of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are raised within 90 miles of Peoria, Illinois.
In a vote held Thursday, April 16, 2015, 108 Illinois representatives voted in favor of making pumpkin pie the official pie for the state. Three representatives – Jack Franks from Marengo, Ken Dunkin of Chicago, and William Davis of East Hazel – voted against making pumpkin the official state pie of Illinois.
Dunkin voted against the measure because, he noted, Illinois is also a large producer of blueberries.
HB0208 was scheduled for a first reading before the State Senate on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.
