But Haddaway-Riccio said she's not upset her soybean proposal won't make it. Like many designations, she said, the proposal was suggested by a group of schoolchildren on a government project, and even a failing bill teaches them plenty about how government works. Earlier this year, a group of fifth-graders from St. Michaels Elementary School testified before a House committee on the soybean proposal.

"That's something a lot of adults never get to do," Haddaway-Riccio said. Recalling her own student stint as a legislative page in Annapolis, Haddaway-Riccio said involving children in state government can inspire them to seek careers in public service. "Whether it passes or not, it's still a great opportunity," she said.

A legislative failure may be moot for the Smith Island cake, too. Eastern Shore lawmakers proposed the designation to boost baking business for an island struggling with a decline in its traditional fishing and crabbing industry. News reports about the bill have brought TV cameras, newspaper features and a boom in orders for women in the Eastern Shore communities that market the cakes.