An Iowa Senator criticizes a piece of legislation that rolls back child labor laws in the state. 

Senate File 167, would allow teens to work up to six hours in more jobs like manufacturing, mining and food processing and it would eliminate work permits. Senator for District 14 Sarah Trone-Garriott has multiple issues with this legislation. Trone-Garriott says that the state government should not be taking teens out of school or encouraging them to participate in work that’s dangerous to fill that workforce labor gap. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio she has heard from a lot of concerned Iowans. 

“A lot of people are very concerned about this legislation and it’s very possible that it’s just not allowable under federal labor laws. So there’s a lot of concern and a lot of people are speaking out against it.”

Trone-Garriott explains that rolling back the labor laws disproportionately affects low-income families and students. 

 “We’re putting pressure on families and saying, Oh, it’s okay, your kids can now work really late at night. Maybe they want to think about dropping out of school to take a job. We don’t want to be pushing folks down that road because kids need opportunities to be kids, but also to get an education so that they can provide for their families and have a better life.”

Lawmakers in favor of the legislation say it would help with the state’s workforce shortage.