Child Labor and Divided America
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January 1 always brings a raft of new laws. Five states have new child labor laws. Blue states think kids should probably be studying. Red states see kids as cheap labor to exploit. Both varieties of states are acting accordingly.
A new law in Indiana will remove restrictions on the number of hours 16 and 17-year-olds can work, reported the South Bend Tribune. Children who are 14 and 15 years old will still be limited to working three hours on a school day and cannot start before 7 a.m. or 7 p.m. during the school year or 9 p.m. during the summer.
Illinois tightened its labor laws in an update to its current law from the 1930s. It includes new protections for minors working in entertainment or on social media. It also updates how schools issue a work certification for teenagers seeking a job.
It will require the issuing officer to consider the minor’s health, welfare and education when assessing an employment certificate application, require that a minor’s work permit include their school schedule and clarify the process for minors experiencing homelessness, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
I imagine this divide will continue. At least most of the states enacting new laws here were blue states. But when the Supreme Court throws out the Fair Labor Standards Act, everything will be on the table.