Potluck dinner participants can now rest assured their event will be safe from government intervention, after Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law Tuesday exempting the dinners from health inspections.
While gathering for his very own potluck lunch with Mondovi residents, the governor approved the legislation, changing the legal definition of a restaurant to exclude potluck gatherings.
"It's important to be concerned about the public's health," Doyle's spokesman Matt Canter said in a phone interview. "But potlucks are certainly not a problem. We don't need government intruding in our spaghetti dinners."
Under previous Wisconsin law, a restaurant was defined as any place in which food was prepared or served to the general public. Although the law had exempted various areas — including public and private school lunchrooms — potluck gatherings were previously subject to regulations enforced by the state Department of Health and Family Services.
According to Canter, Wisconsin citizens will no longer be required to obtain licenses from the DHFS in order to organize innocent potluck meals.
University of Wisconsin sophomore Rory Linton also expressed his support for the bill, adding it will make his future potluck experiences more enjoyable.
"I like the idea where I can get together with a bunch of people and eat a lot of food and just have fun, without having to worry about paperwork and stuff," Linton said.
And bill supporters not only lauded the measure for the protection it offers from needless government intrusion, but also said it will help to preserve an important state custom.
"It's a Wisconsin tradition to gather with your family and community over a potluck lunch or dinner," Doyle said in a release. "In church basements and school gymnasiums across this state, you'll find … some of the strongest communities and most delicious casseroles anywhere."
The legislation, called Assembly Bill 454, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the state Assembly last year and also in the Senate last month.
