Buys bill aims to help food trucks cut through red tape
Rep. Vincent Buys, R-Lynden, introduced a bill Wednesday to make it easier for food trucks to operate in Washington.
House Bill 2639 would allow food trucks to prepare and cook all of their food onsite as long as they maintain state and local health standards, eliminating some additional hoops business owners have to jump through. Currently, they have to prepare much of their food offsite and then load the food onto the trucks.
Buys first got the idea for his bill last April when he met with food truck owners during Food Truck Lobby Day, hosted by the Washington State Food Truck Association.
“Mobile food unit owners face unique challenges when it comes to the basic operations of their businesses,” said Buys. “Lawmakers and communities throughout the state should be doing all we can to raise businesses up, allow competition that bolsters our economy, and expand job opportunities, not stifle growth. This bill will eliminate unnecessary, redundant red tape so food trucks can operate more freely.”
The bill was referred to the House Health Care and Wellness Committee but has not yet been assigned a hearing.
The 2018 legislative session began Jan. 8 and is scheduled to run 60 consecutive days.
PHOTO: Rep. Vincent Buys on Food Truck Lobby Day, April 13, 2017, in Olympia, WA. Photo courtesy of the Washington State Food Truck Association.
