A shortage of job candidates has prompted the legislatures of at least 10 states to propose easing restrictions on when and where teenagers can work, fueling a controversy that’s sucking in restaurants.
Many of the suggested regulatory changes address either the hours minors can work, particularly during the school year, or how exposed they can be to the sale of alcohol.
Success in pushing the measures forward correlates closely with which political party controls a state’s legislature and governor’s mansion.
In Iowa, for instance, where Republicans control both chambers of the statehouse, GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds has said she’ll sign a pending bill that gives restaurants far more leeway in their scheduling of teens.
The measure, already passed by the state Senate and House of Representatives, would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights and until 11 p.m. at other times, or two hours later than they’re currently permitted. Their shift on any given night cannot exceed six hours, an increase from the current limit of four hours per day.
Ohio has similarly raised the legal knockoff time during the school year to 9 p.m. if their parents approve.
A bill moving through the Missouri legislature would push back the cutoff for teens to 10 p.m.
Among the more controversial provisions of the Iowa legislation is an OK for workers aged 16 and 17 to serve alcohol if they have a parent’s permission and food is being sold. The youngsters can only deliver the...
“Hey #Southafrica, Musk didn't have the decency to shake your president's hand. Musk helped get Malema sentenced. Don't believe for a second he won't target Ramaphosa,” reads the X post published ...