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Easy-Reading t1_je9vq54 wrote

Reply to comment by fuckouttaheawiddat in Toddler Found Alone in Locked Car Outside Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, Police Say by ActionJawnson

It's wild what's happening. AR is about to show us why child labor laws were originally enacted.

Earlier this month Arkansa enacted the Youth Hiring Act of 2023. Under the new law children under 16 don't have to get the Division of Labor's permission to be employed. The state also no longer has to verify the age of those under 16 before they take a job. The law doesn't change the hours or kinds of jobs kids can work.

"Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders 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," communications director Alexa Henning said in a statement to NPR. "All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now."

Workers under 16 in Arkansas have had to get these permits for decades.

Supporters of the new law say it gets rid of a tedious requirement, streamlines the hiring process, and allows parents — rather than the government — to make decisions about their children.

But opponents say the work certificates protected vulnerable youth from exploitation.

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Redpandaling t1_jeaacum wrote

Good lord, I did not know Arkansas elected Trump's press secretary as governor . . .

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frankoceansheadband t1_jea7gil wrote

Meanwhile, the same state government is trying to “protect children” by banning drag

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justasque t1_jeaezxl wrote

In PA you literally get working papers at your high school. And, as I vaguely remember it, it was in part an exercise in learning the rules, so if your employer violated them you knew. But now in AR there will be no moment when either employer or employee or employee’s parent is reminded of the rules. That’s not going to end well.

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