Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) and State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer (R,C,I-Amherst) today welcomed the 4th grade class of Byron Bergen Elementary School to Albany. The students came to Albany to lobby members of the Assembly to pass their bill to make yogurt New York’s official state snack. The bill passed the State Senate last month, and was passed by the Assembly with the students in attendance. The legislation now goes to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

“Today was truly a good day at the Capitol. These students are learning how to take part in the democratic process, and that is a great thing to behold. Through their advocacy, they let legislators know why yogurt should be our official state snack. Today, they are lobbying for yogurt, and because of this learning experience, tomorrow they may be pushing to solve our nation’s biggest challenges,” said Hawley.

In their efforts to lobby for the bill, Hawley, Ranzenhofer and Byron Bergen’s students staged an event to distribute yogurt to state legislators, staffers and others in the Capitol. They also performed skits to promote the health benefits of yogurt and its importance to New York’s economy. New York is the leading producer of yogurt in the country, making 692 million pounds of the snack every day.