By Dave Dahl

Eleven-year-old Hayli Martenez (cq) took a piece of her late grandmother’s advice — when you make lemonade, use honey rather than sugar — to try to make some money for her family.

When the city of Kankakee ordered her to shut down her stand, Hayli used another piece of Granny’s advice — when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So she came to Springfield with a bill to legalize children’s lemonade stands and protect them from government regulation.

“I am ready to make a change for little girls and little boys who have lemonade stands. I know that everyone’s sick and tired of us getting shut down, and it’s time to make a change,” she told senators.

Not many sixth-graders present to state lawmakers.

“I was, like, two percent nervous,” she said afterward.

She says her lemonade comes in 45 varieties.

SB 3459 has passed the Senate Public Health Committee.