More than a decade after several prominent Republicans went after child-labor laws in provocative ways, GOP policymakers are starting to actually implement meaningful changes.
The Washington Post recently reported on Arkansas scrapping age verification requirements for workers younger than 16 years old, and Missouri Republicans eyeing a similar move. GOP officials in Iowa have considered a proposal to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to “work certain jobs in meatpacking plants and shield businesses from civil liability if a child laborer is sickened.” There have been related efforts in Ohio and New Hampshire.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, meanwhile, reported this week on the latest from Wisconsin’s Republican-led legislature.
Teenagers as young as 14 could serve restaurant diners alcohol in Wisconsin under a new bill released Monday. Current law requires an employee of a bar or restaurant be at least 18 years old to serve cocktails, wine or beer to customers. A new bill circulated Monday by Sen. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, and Rep. Chanz Green, R-Grandview, would allow teenage employees between 14 and 17 serve alcohol to seated customers only.
The GOP legislators behind the bill said current child-labor restrictions are causing “workforce issues.”
The Journal Sentinel, referencing information from the National Institutes of Health, added that if this bill were to become law, Wisconsin would be “the only state in the country to allow teen workers under the age of 17 to serve alcohol.”
As for why officials in so many states are “reforming” their child-labor laws — an issue that appeared to be relatively settled until quite recently — there’s reason to believe the sudden flurry is not coincidental.
The Washington Post recently highlighted the role of something called the Foundation for Government Accountability, which is taking the lead on “maneuvering” these changes through state legislatures.
The Florida-based think tank and its lobbying arm, the Opportunity Solutions Project, have found remarkable success among Republicans to relax regulations that prevent children from working long hours in dangerous conditions. And they are gaining traction at a time the Biden administration is scrambling to enforce existing labor protections for children. … Since 2016, the FGA’s Opportunity Solutions Project has hired 115 lobbyists across the country with a presence in 22 states, according to the nonpartisan political watchdog group OpenSecrets.
With this in mind, there’s no reason to expect these measures to disappear anytime soon.
