Iowa's state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to allow children aged 14 to work night shifts and those aged 15 and older to work on assembly lines.
The measure, which must still pass the Iowa House to become law, is one of several similar pushes by Florida-based think tank the Foundation for Government Accountability.
The group found success in March in designing a new law in Arkansas that eliminates work permits and age verification for workers younger than 16.
FGA-backed child labor legislation has also made progress in Missouri, Minnesota and Georgia this year. FGA vice president of communications Nick Stehle wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News that it 'harms teenagers when you discourage them from learning through work'.
They argue the 'main push for this reform' comes not from big business but 'from families like mine, who want more of the freedom that lets our children flourish.'
Critics argue the policies succeed by 'coming in under the radar'. David Campbell, professor of American democracy at the University of Notre Dame, told the Washington Post: 'When you say that a bill will allow kids to work more or under dangerous conditions, it sounds wildly unpopular.
Nick Stehle, VP of communications at the FGA, wrote an article recently defending reforms to child labor laws
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Stehle argued ...
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