Iowa May Loosen Teen Labor Laws—As States Rush To Change Laws Amid Worker Shortage

Topline

The Iowa State Senate passed a law loosening working restrictions for minors Tuesday morning, the latest in a spate of legislation easing barriers for businesses to employ teens amid a tight labor market—though critics warn looser labor laws could lead to dangerous conditions.

On Tuesday, the Iowa State Senate passed a law easing restrictions on teen labor.

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Key Facts

The legislation passed 32-17 early Tuesday morning after an hours-long debate, with every Democrat and two Republicans voting against it.

The bill allows 14- to 17-year-olds to work in industries currently prohibited for minors, such as roofing, demolition and manufacturing, as long as they are part of an approved training program.

It also allows minors to work up to six hours a day, which is two hours longer than currently permitted, and to work until 9 p.m. during the school year and 11 p.m. during the summer, which is two hours later than the current law.

Workers aged 16 and 17 would also be able to serve alcohol at restaurants, but not bars or strip clubs, as long as they have written permission from a parent or guardian, expanding the current law, which prohibits minors from serving.

While opponents criticized the bill for exposing minors to “potentially dangerous workplace settings,” the bill’s backers say it will provide young people the opportunity to “earn and learn” while also eliminating barriers for businesses—sentiments echoed by proponents of similar legislation that’s been pitched in at least 11 states in the past two years.

What To Watch For

The bill still must pass the House and be approved by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), who told reporters in April she supports expanding youth employment.

Key Background

Iowa’s bill is the latest in a nationwide trend to loosen child labor protections. Most recently in March, Arkansas enacted the Youth Hiring Act, which ends the requirement for businesses to obtain a work permit and parental permission to employ a child under 16 years old. In 2022, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Illinois enacted laws extending hours minors can work, and Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and South Dakota have all introduced bills seeking to ease child labor protections or expand hours for younger employees, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Proponents of the Iowa legislation said loosening restrictions gives more power to parents and employers, who won’t have to get government approval to employ children. Arkansas Sen. Tim Schaffer, who sponsored the Youth Hiring Act, said the law gives “more power to these families, to the schools and [to] the employers,” though opponents of the Arkansas law say work permits can protect children from exploitative employers. The trend also comes amid a particularly tight labor market, as there are two job openings for every unemployed person, the highest such ratio recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Crucial Quote

“Employers are interested in getting more people available to work for more hours,” Matthew Bodie, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, told the Wall Street Journal after Arkansas’ law passed. “Some of this is taking existing categories like 14- and 15-year-olds and trying to expand the number of hours they can work.”

Chief Critic

During a hearing Tuesday, Iowa Democrats cited workplace safety concerns and brought up several areas where they say the bill’s language is in conflict with federal labor laws, such as one provision allowing minors to work in freezers and meat coolers. The federal government has restricted child labor for decades, including through the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which was passed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in an effort to protect children’s education opportunities and prohibit dangerous working conditions for young people.

Tangent

In February, the Labor Department reported the number of illegally employed minors had increased 69% since 2018, citing exploitation of migrant children who enter the U.S. without a parent as a major factor in the spike. Underage migrants work for suppliers to major companies including Ford, Walmart and Whole Foods, the New York Times found in a February investigation. The paper reported migrant children are sometimes released from government-supported shelters to sponsors who expect them to work, and federal officials have often missed warning signs. The maximum civil monetary penalty under current law for child labor violation is $15,138 per child, which is “not high enough to be a deterrent for major profitable companies,” the Labor Department said in its report.