Governor Sanders removes regulatory hurdle, enabling a freer market for child labor in Arkansas

[essentialsaltes]

Arkansas governor signs bill rolling back child labor protections​

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law this week that rolls back a number of child labor protections across the state, including a measure that had required employers to obtain work certificates for children under the age of 16.

Previously, minors under the age of 16 needed to verify their age and get the written consent of a parent or guardian before a work certificate could be issued by the state’s Division of Labor. But H.B. 1410, known as the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, which passed the Arkansas state legislature earlier this month, no longer requires youth under the age of 16 to have that work certificate as a condition of their employment.

Why should parents stand in the way of the free market? Arkansan kids yearn to work in Tyson chicken separating factories!

 

[Hank77]

Arkansas governor signs bill rolling back child labor protections​

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law this week that rolls back a number of child labor protections across the state, including a measure that had required employers to obtain work certificates for children under the age of 16.

Previously, minors under the age of 16 needed to verify their age and get the written consent of a parent or guardian before a work certificate could be issued by the state’s Division of Labor. But H.B. 1410, known as the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, which passed the Arkansas state legislature earlier this month, no longer requires youth under the age of 16 to have that work certificate as a condition of their employment.

Why should parents stand in the way of the free market? Arkansan kids yearn to work in Tyson chicken separating factories!

What was the justification for the new bill? I can't even think why they would want to change this law.

 

[Fantine]

Chicken plants have been hiring underage immigrants.

Her father had been a moderate when in office, but she has since apprenticed with someone who is evil consummate.

A lot of Arkansans will vote for anyone with an R after their name. I surround myself with people who are more astute, but the level of naivete about political intent appalls me.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

What was the justification for the new bill? I can't even think why they would want to change this law.

I suspect it's because businesses are finding that adults are no longer willing to work for the wages they're offering. Rather than raising their wages, they've decided to make it easier to exploit an under-utilized and less savvy workforce.

 

[FireDragon76]

How Dickensian...

 

[essentialsaltes]

What was the justification for the new bill? I can't even think why they would want to change this law.

The justification offered in the OP article is not very convincing in the middle:

Proponents of the legislation argued that removing the certificate would eliminate a tedious step that stood in the way of minors getting a job quickly in the state. They also said that the bill would restore decision-making to parents about their children [What?!? it literally removes parental decision making from the process!] and streamline the hiring process for minors.

But the bolded part I think is pretty much as I described in the headline 'a freer market for child labor'.

Not much of a statement from Sanders herself, but also along the same lines:

Sanders believes the provision was “burdensome and obsolete,” spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an emailed statement.

'Just cutting useless red tape.'

Other states are also considering loosening child labor protections. A bill advancing in Iowa would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work certain jobs in meatpacking plants and would shield businesses from civil liability if a youth worker is sickened, injured or killed on the job.

Well, at least we've now found the GOP agenda other than grievance-airing.

 

[keith99]

Regarding the claim that the current law stands in the way of minors quickly obtaining a job, the solution is simple. Give something like a one month grace period to fulfil the paperwork. E.g. the permit must be obtained within one month of initial hire date.

Of course, if the intent is to exploit child labor without parental knowledge my 'fix' does not work.

 

[eleos1954]

Arkansas governor signs bill rolling back child labor protections​

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law this week that rolls back a number of child labor protections across the state, including a measure that had required employers to obtain work certificates for children under the age of 16.

Previously, minors under the age of 16 needed to verify their age and get the written consent of a parent or guardian before a work certificate could be issued by the state’s Division of Labor. But H.B. 1410, known as the Youth Hiring Act of 2023, which passed the Arkansas state legislature earlier this month, no longer requires youth under the age of 16 to have that work certificate as a condition of their employment.

Why should parents stand in the way of the free market? Arkansan kids yearn to work in Tyson chicken separating factories!

If they want to work .... let them work .... working builds character.

 

[keith99]

If they want to work .... let them work .... working builds character.

Are there no workhouses!?

 

[eleos1954]

Are there no workhouses!?

Not forced to work .... if they want to work.

 

[Paulos23]

Not forced to work .... if they want to work.

Given the number of families in poverty, they may not have a choice.

 

[keith99]

Not forced to work .... if they want to work.

The workhouses started as a humanitarian gesture, this is starting as exploitation!

 

[iluvatar5150]

Given the number of families in poverty, they may not have a choice.

Yeah… I can kind of go both ways on this. On one hand, I don’t trust either the Republican politicians or the business owners to whom they’re catering. OTOH, if a kid is trying to go work a job, there’s probably a good (i.e. sad, but understandable) reason for it and denying them that opportunity may make their situation worse. I suspect that requiring the work permit was ineffective at protecting them and that, if protection is the goal of the legislation, there would be other, better mechanisms by which to achieve it. (not that I trust the Republican government to enact them)

 

[eleos1954]

Given the number of families in poverty, they may not have a choice.

I'm older .... I started working when I was 13 and did so to make my own money and to spend it the way I wanted to. It gave me a lot of freedom to do some things I wanted to do .. it also taught me the value of making my own way in life and how to save for the future ... learned a lot of things from it.

 

[NxNW]

I'm older .... I started working when I was 13 and did so to make my own money and to spend it the way I wanted to. It gave me a lot of freedom to do some things I wanted to do .. it also taught me the value of making my own way in life and how to save for the future ... learned a lot of things from it.

Your anecdote is not relevant.

 

[Fantine]

Your anecdote is not relevant.

My grandmother lost both her parents to a house fire, and was working in a baking factory when she was twelve years old. She remembered when she and her friend had to hide in the flour barrels when the inspectors came, and called my grandfather "my prince" because he rescued her from heavy child labor.

The difference? Kids in the chicken plants won't have to hide. Sarah Huckabee Sanders approves.

There was a time when people elected women because their maternal, nurturing instincts made them more compassionate. Not heartless Huckabee Sanders. She has lowered the bar even lower.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Step away from your irony meters.

@SarahHuckabee 6:10 PM · Apr 12, 2023

For years, social media companies have gotten away with exploiting kids for profit.

Not anymore. I signed a new law today requiring social media companies to verify the age of all new Arkansas users — and if an account holder is under 18, they’ll need parental permission.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I missed this before...

Her father had been a moderate when in office, but she has since apprenticed with someone who is evil consummate.

A moderate?

Has he changed?
Was it just in politics?
Is this a sliding scale? (relative to other Southern Republicans?)

I ask because every time I see him, his words are the stuff of Dominionist/Theocratic nightmare fuel.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I ask because every time I see him, his words are the stuff of Dominionist/Theocratic nightmare fuel.

What, all his terrible jokes didn't soften his image in your eyes?

 

[Hans Blaster]

What, all his terrible jokes didn't soften his image in your eyes?

I do know of his bad jokes (and I have no desire to learn). I will say that I didn't really pay much attention to his politics even when he was in office.