Arkansas governor signs bill rolling back child labor protections

[Initech]

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.

“The Governor believes protecting kids is most important, but this permit was an arbitrary burden on parents to get permission from the government for their child to get a job,” Sanders’ spokesperson Alexa Henning said in a statement. “All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now.”

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.

The bill’s passage comes after the Biden administration announced last month plans to crackdown on labor exploitation of migrant children across the country, the New York Times reported, following an investigation conducted by the publication.

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 and streamline the hiring process for minors.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/politics/sarah-huckabee-sanders-arkansas-child-labor/index.html

Fuck you Sarah Sanders. Also fuck you Fox News and people who vote for MAGA cretins like Sarah Sanders. Just stop pretending that you care about kids or that you're doing this "for the children". Because you clearly don't give a rat's ass about kids.

[hlthe2b]

1. When child-trafficking blows up on her and fatalities & injuries in dangerous jobs, I think SHE

needs to be charged as the facilitator/enabler/accessory.

[doc03]

2. They catch meat packing plants using child labor. What do the Republicans do

weaken child labor laws.

[Grins]

3. She thinks it was about getting "permission" to work.

The government granting permission to work.

It’s not. If you meet the state’s laws on working you can’t be denied. The state has a valid interest in KNOWING about kids working.

This is just another show pony for “the base.”