The governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on Tuesday signed a bill that significantly rolls back protections against child labor, eliminating state requirements to verify that children are at least 16 before they receive a job.
A spokesperson for Sanders, who before becoming governor was White House press secretary under Donald Trump, told the Washington Post state law had been “burdensome and obsolete”.
The new law weakens official oversight of child labor practices across the state.
The bill’s sponsor, Rebecca Burkes, told KNWA the previous regulation was “one small burden on businesses, and also steps in front of parents’ decision-making process about whether their child under 16 years of age can get a job”.
Passage of the Youth Hiring Act of 2023 represents the latest attempt in mostly Republican-led states to loosen child labor laws, despite federal officials seeking to crack down on offenses.
In Ohio, lawmakers are considering a bill that would let 14- and 15-year-old children work year-round until 9pm each day. The bill has bipartisan support and includes a resolution that would ask the federal government to change its child labor laws.
In Iowa, legislative proposals would allow children at least 15 years old to sell alcohol and children at least 14 years old to work specific jobs in meatpacking plants. The Iowa bill would also protect companies from liability if a child got sick or injured or died while at work.
Lawmakers in Minnesota, which is led by a...
Crown Medical Solutions and owners Michelle and Philanzo King have agreed to pay $825,000 to resolve US government allegations that they submitted false Medicare claims for durable medical equipme...