MADISON, WISCONSIN (AP) – As United States cracks down on child labour violations, some state lawmakers are embracing legislation to let children work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations.
The legislators argue that relaxing child labour laws could ease nationwide labour shortages.
But child welfare advocates worry the measures represent a coordinated push to scale back hard-won protections for minors.
“The consequences are potentially disastrous,” said Director of the Child Labour Coalition, which advocates against exploitative labour policies Reid Maki. “You can’t balance a perceived labour shortage on the backs of teen workers.”
Lawmakers proposed loosening child labour laws in at least 10 states over the past two years, according to a report published last month by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Some bills became law, while others were withdrawn or vetoed.
Legislators in Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa are actively considering relaxing child labour laws to address worker shortages. Employers have struggled to fill open positions after a spike in retirements, deaths and illnesses from COVID-19, decreases in legal immigration and other factors.
The Ohio Legislature is on track to pass a bill allowing students ages 14 and 15 to work until 9pm during the school year with their parents’ permission.
That’s later than federal law allows, so a companion measure asks the United States (US) Congress to amend its own laws.
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, students that age can only work until 7pm during the school year.
Congress passed the law in 1938 to stop children from being exposed to dangerous conditions and abusive practices in mines, factories, farms and street trades.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law in March eliminating permits that required employers to verify a child’s age and their parent’s consent. Without work permit requirements, companies caught violating child labour laws can more easily claim ignorance.
Other measures to loosen child labour laws have been passed into law in New Jersey, New Hampshire and Iowa.
Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law last year allowing teens aged 16 and 17 to work unsupervised in child care centres.
