Under a measure presented on Friday, August 18, by Republican legislators in Wisconsin, minors in that state would no longer need a work permit or parental approval to get employment if they are 14 or 15.
Despite attempts by federal investigators to clamp down on the increase in child labor offenses around the country, the plan comes amid a broader drive by state politicians to roll down child labor regulations.
In Wisconsin, minors between the ages of 14 and 15 are not legally permitted to work in any capacity without the consent of a legal guardian and subsequent verification of age by the state's Department of Workforce Development. If the department determines that a minor's safety is in jeopardy, it may immediately cancel the minor's employment permit.
Holdup in Employment Process
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin proposed eliminating the requirement for a work permit or parental clearance for 14- and 15-year-olds. The initiative is part of the state's push to loosen child labor laws.
The bill's Republican sponsors, Senator Cory Tomczyk and Representatives Clint Moses and Amy Binsfeld referred to juvenile employment permits as "needless administrative barriers that slow down the hiring process," as reported by AP News.
They urged more lawmakers to sign on as sponsors, saying it is crucial that young people have access to the workforce without being burdened by complex rules.
Without work permits confirmed by a state agency, businesses found in violation of child labor regulations may more readily claim ignorance. Notably, the measure maintains the need for employers to keep their own records of workers' ages and hours worked.
Packers Sanitation, a Wisconsin-based meat packing contractor, was fined over $1.5 million by the Labor Department earlier this year for using at least 100 minors, some as young as 13. They are tasked to clean potentially dangerous equipment, including bone saws and skull splitters, at sites throughout the US. The corporation stated it had no idea those employees were underage and promised to take better measures to check employees' ages in the future.
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Jeopardizing the Safety of Minors?
In recent years, state legislators around the nation, especially Republicans, have welcomed bills that would enable minors to work longer hours and in more dangerous jobs. Many legislation like these have been offered as potential answers to labor shortages, but proponents of child labor say they put children at unnecessary risk.
In March, Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a measure revoking permits that, like Wisconsin's, mandated age verification and parental permission for minors to work.
Advocates worry that the elimination of the permit requirement will make it much harder to investigate violations of child labor laws because there will be fewer records of where children are being employed. Sanders later signed separate legislation increasing civil penalties and creating criminal penalties for violating child labor laws.
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