The Iowa state senate in the USA has passed a controversial bill on Tuesday that permits minors to work longer hours and serve alcohol in restaurants, both of which are banned under current labour laws. The bill passed with a 32-17 vote, with most Republicans supporting it except for two.
However, Senators Charlie McClintock and Jeff Taylor, who are Republicans, joined the Democratic party in opposition to the legislation. The bill permits minors aged between 16 and 17 to work until 9:00 pm during the school year and until 11:00 pm over the summer, while they can serve alcohol in restaurants if their parents sign a declaration granting them permission.
Additionally, minors under the age of 18 can engage in ‘light’ assembly line or packaging work as long as machines are not involved, but it prohibits 14 and 15-year-olds from any mining or manufacturing work.
The bill must be passed by the House to become law, which may not be a big issue as it is controlled by Republicans. Furthermore, Governor Kim Reynolds appears to be in favor of the law. Reynolds said, ‘Ultimately, parents and kids will decide if they want to work or not. It teaches the kids a lot. And if they have the time to do it and they want to earn some additional money, I don’t think we should discourage that.’
Democrats, on the other hand, protested against the legislation, saying it will endanger children by allowing them to work in dangerous fields. They also attempted to add additional amendments to the bill, such as offering additional workers’ compensation benefits to any teenager injured on the job, but could not be successful.
The Democrats claimed that the bill will put children at risk by allowing them to work in dangerous fields. ‘No Iowa teenager should be working in America’s deadliest jobs. Iowa Republican politicians want to solve the workforce crisis on the literal backs of children,’ said Zach Wahls, the senate minority leader.
‘Every parent wants their kids to grow up with every opportunity to succeed, not risk an early death by working in dangerous jobs. The legislation passed by the Senate tonight is every parent’s worst nightmare,’ Charlie Wishman, the president of the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO was quoted as saying by Insider.
According to reports, since 2018, the number of illegally employed minors has increased by two-thirds in the USA. This uptick in child labor coincided with the massive influx of unaccompanied children trying to escape poverty and violence in Latin America. In the last fiscal year alone, 130,000 children were referred to US government shelters.
Post Your Comments