Not law yet since it has not passed
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Iowa children would be allowed to work longer hours, including in jobs that are currently prohibited such as serving alcohol, under a bill passed by the Iowa Senate early Tuesday morning after a marathon session.
The Senate voted 32-17 just before 5 a.m. Tuesday to pass Senate File 542. Two Republicans, Sens. Charlie McClintock, R-Alburnett, and Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, broke with their colleagues to join every Democrat in opposition.
The House must still pass the bill before it could go to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature.
The bill's Republican supporters said it will modernize Iowa's laws and teach children valuable skills through workforce training programs.
"While the responsibility of having a job might be more valuable than having a paycheck, the reward of the paycheck will allow these youth who want to have a job to possibly save for a car, maybe buy a prom dress, go to a summer camp, take a date out for the weekend," said Sen. Adrian Dickey, R-Packwood, the bill's floor manager.
Democrats argued the bill will increase the risk of workplace accidents by exposing inexperienced kids to more dangerous work environments. They tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to offer additional workers compensation benefits for teenagers who get injured on the job.
"You don’t like it being branded as a bill about child labor, but yet your bill talks about kids getting injured in the workplace," said Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines. "So let’s make it about taking care of kids who are injured working in these jobs, because it will happen."
Senators stayed late Monday night and into the early hours of Tuesday morning before passing the bill at 4:52 a.m. The delay came after Dickey refused to yield to a question from Democrats about an amendment to the bill.
Democrats then went to hold a private caucus meeting, breaking up debate. Senate Republicans later drafted amendments to address some of the concerns Democrats were trying to raise.
The proposal has drawn condemnation from labor unions, which have held protests around the state in an effort to stop it.
And the U.S. Department of Labor's top lawyer, Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda, criticized bills like those in Iowa and other states, calling it "irresponsible for states to consider loosening child labor protections."
Reynolds, a Republican, spoke favorably about the law earlier this month. She pointed to her own experience babysitting, waiting tables and working at Younkers when she was young.
"That’s good experience," she told reporters April 4. "You know, 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."
"Ultimately, parents and kids will decide if they want to work or not."
A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from March found 50% favor the proposal, while 42% oppose it and 8% are unsure.
What would Iowa's child labor bill do?
The bill would let the directors of the Iowa Department of Education or Iowa Workforce Development to grant exceptions allowing 14- to 17-year-olds to work in jobs currently banned for minors, as long as they are part of an approved training program with adequate supervision and safety precautions.
If the bill becomes law, 16- and 17-year-olds would be allowed to serve alcohol at restaurants, as long as the employer has written permission from the child's parent or guardian.
The Senate amended the bill early Tuesday to say minors could not serve alcohol in bars. The previous version of the bill would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol in both bars and restaurants.
"It was not intended to put minors in Tom’s Tavern slinging drinks, rather to allow these youth to work in Renee’s Restaurant," Dickey said.
The Senate also amended the bill Tuesday to clarify that 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work in strip clubs, although Senate Republicans said that has never been allowed under current law.
The bill would let kids under 16 work up to six hours a day, two more than the current maximum of four hours a day. And they could work longer into the evening — until 9 p.m. during the school year and until 11 p.m. during the summer.
Sixteen and 17-year-olds could work the same number of hours per day as adults.
It would also create a committee to study the possibility of letting teens 14 and older get a special driver's permit to drive to work. An earlier version of the bill would have simply authorized the new type of permits for teens.
Students ages 14½ or older can already get a special permit to drive to school.
And the bill says that teens who are injured on the job can seek benefits under the state's workers compensation program. The initial version did not include those protections for minors who could be hurt on the job.
The bill also eliminates decades-old provisions in current law that let children between the ages of 10 and 13 work in street occupations like selling newspapers, or migratory labor conditions.
From Texas:
- Texas Child Labor Law – Labor Code Chapter 51
- Texas Child Labor Rules - Texas Administrative Code
