![]() ![]() Michael McGrorty, a veteran wage-hour investigator, thinks the proposed state changes “are not really very important.” McGrorty predicted schools will likely still require parental permission for work-study credit even if states no longer mandate it, and said even if minors are approved to work in hazardous occupations, most firms still won’t allow it because their insurance won’t provide liability coverage. Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the risks this poses to youth workers, especially since the bill would also extend the hours a teen could work into the night. The bill would also permit 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol in restaurants, if their parents granted permission. Supporters of the bill say more hazardous jobs like heavy manufacturing and construction would still be barred from teen employment, but new exceptions for minors would include fields like demolition and manufacturing. In Iowa, lawmakers are advancing a controversial bill that allows young teens to work in some currently prohibited fields, if it’s deemed part of a school or employer training program. While work permits are not mandated under federal law, critics of the Youth Hiring Act said they provided an important paper trail of youth employment, and reminded Arkansas businesses of their legal obligations.Ĭhild labor protections are the latest Republican target The work permits, which Republicans called an “arbitrary” burden, had required proof of age, parent permission, and an employer’s signature. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the “ Youth Hiring Act” - a law eliminating Arkansas’ requirement that 14- and 15-year-olds get work permits. Others worry about a general slippery slope of loosening child labor laws, and sending a message to employers that enforcement will be even more relaxed than it already is.įor example, even though a federal labor investigation recently found 10 children working illegally in Arkansas for a company that cleans hazardous meatpacking equipment, in March, Republican Gov. Some rule changes - like allowing teens to work later in the summer - sound fairly innocuous, but others have caused more concern, like a proposal in Minnesota to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work on construction sites, and one in Iowa that would allow 14-year-olds to work in meat coolers. This year lawmakers have advanced more bills in states like Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Iowa. New Jersey lawmakers bumped up the number of hours teens can work during the summer (to 40 hours a week for 14- and 15-year-olds and 50 for 16- and 17-year-olds.) New Hampshire lawmakers also relaxed rules for busing tables where alcohol is served, allowing 14-year-olds now to do it, down from the previous minimum of 15 years old. In 2022, New Hampshire and New Jersey passed laws extending the hours teenagers could work. ![]() Over the last two years, at least 10 states have introduced or enacted laws to change the rules governing teenage work requirements. What are the new state laws being proposed? But they’re also rooted in longstanding conservative opposition to workplace regulation, and some labor advocates worry they’re just the opening salvo to a broader attack on government safety rules. On Tuesday, the US Labor Department announced it had found two 10-year-olds working at a McDonald’s in Louisville, Kentucky, sometimes until 2 am.Īs the Wisconsin lawmakers suggested, these new bills are partly a reaction to the competitive labor market and struggles businesses have been facing to fill open positions. Some labor experts say the proposed changes pose little threat to workplace safety, but they’ve overlapped with shocking exposés in the New York Times and Washington Post that uncovered exploited migrant children working illegally in American jobs. Wisconsin is not the only state looking to loosen labor laws affecting minors, and over the last few months there have been been Republican-led bills in states like Arkansas, Ohio, and Iowa aimed at making it easier for teenagers to work in more jobs and for more hours in the day. ![]() The legislative proposal “creates a simple solution” to workforce staffing issues, said the Republican bill sponsors in a memo they circulated to colleagues on Monday. Earlier this week Republican state lawmakers in Wisconsin circulated a new bill that would allow workers as young as 14 years old to serve alcohol in bars and restaurants, down from the state’s current age minimum of 18 years old. ![]()
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