New York CNN —
More states are letting teenagers serve alcohol at bars and restaurants, part of a growing rollback of child labor protection laws across the United States.
Since 2021, at least nine states have introduced bills to lower the minimum age for serving alcohol, according to a report released Thursday by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. Seven states — Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico and Alabama — have enacted them.
More states are pushing to follow. In Wisconsin, legislators are seeking to lower the alcohol service age from 18 to 14, and Idaho lawmakers want to lower it from 19 to 17.
Restaurants and industry groups like the National Restaurant Association have pushed these bills as they face challenges hiring workers. The leisure and hospitality sector had 1.3 million jobs open in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Around 80% of restaurant operators say they currently have job openings that are tough to fill, according to the National Restaurant Association. Millions of restaurant workers have left the industry in recent years over low wages and poor working conditions.
But lowering the minimum age to serve alcohol will put teenagers at risk of sexual harassment, underage drinking and other harms, labor experts warn. The restaurant industry already has the highest number of child labor law violations, according to the Economic Policy...
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