In Today’s News and Commentary, the Ohio Governor vetoes a bill to weaken child labor laws, Utah Lawmakers repeal a ban on public-sector bargaining, and the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case involving jurisdiction over post-arbitration award motions.
Bucking the trend of weakening child labor protections, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine vetoed a bill last week that would have extended the number of hours that employers can schedule 14- and 15-year-olds to work. Senate Bill 50 (SB50), which passed the Ohio Senate 24-9 and the Ohio House 62-30, would have allowed children under 16 to work until 9 p.m. year-round, with their parents’ consent. Federal law currently prohibits children 16 and under from working later than 7 p.m. during the school year. Supporters of SB50 praised the measures as providing more flexibility for working children’s schedules, but a long list of advocates in the child health and welfare, education, organized labor, and economic justice fields publicly urged Governor DeWine to oppose the bill. Children can still work up to 9:00 p.m. during the summer months and during any school break longer than five days in duration.
In a win for organizers and Utah workers, earlier this week lawmakers voted to repeal HB267, which prohibited public-sector collective bargaining in the state. As Elyse reported in February, Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill amidst protests outside his office. HB267 banned collective bargaining for teachers, police officers,...
The Indiana Citizen Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is urging lawmakers to criminalize making false claims about the creation or distribution of artificial intelligence-generated pornography, sayi...