JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri has lots of symbols. Among the twenty or so officially recognized ones, there's a state grape, a state dinosaur, and even a state fossil.
So what about an official state dessert?
For a group of Missouri kids, 2008 is getting off to a very cool start.
Kayleigh Hecht and eighteen others from her home-school co-op in Suburban St. Louis County have proposed a bill to make the ice cream cone the official state dessert.
The children proposed the idea to Senator John Loudon, who introduced it into the state senate.
"As young citizens we want to make a positive impact on our state. The passage of this bill will provide permanent record of the importance of the ice cream cone to the world, and promote the dairy and ice cream industries of Missouri." Said Kayleigh Hecht, who proposed bill.
The ice cream cone was chosen as a nostalgic nod to the 1904 world's fair in Stylus, where it's believed to have gotten it's start.
The kids gave a senate committee the scoop this week on the bills benefits.
But just like any other piece of legislation, filing a bill costs time and money.
And state symbol bills come up every legislative session. There's even a bill pushing for an official state mushroom.
Supporters say the bill would officially preserve the historic and economic impact of the ice cream cone in Missouri. It's a sweet idea, but some people believe the process is a waste of state resources.
Representative Charlie Schlottach sponsors the house version of the bill. He says it will have a positive economic impact on the state, although he couldn't give specifics. He says the effort to get youngsters involved in civics is well worth the cost. But are Missouri taxpayers the ones getting schooled?
"Anytime we're educating our kids, anytime we're having interaction with them, I beg to differ. It's a tremendously important process." Said Schlottach.
A Missouri house communications official told me the cost and time it takes to print a bill for review varies, depending on how long the bill is and the number of revisions it needs. Further calls to the office for an exact cost of printing the ice cream cone bill were not immediately returned.
Even so, most people I talked with today seemed excited about the possibility of giving official distinction to this cold confection.
"I'm just happy for all the cows in Missouri." Said Schlottach.
Legislators hope the ice cream cone will be Missouri's official dessert by May.
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