Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to Sign Bill Rolling Back Child Labor Laws

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks at a campaign event for Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) at Dahl Auto Museum as part of Ernst's RV tour of Iowa, in Davenport, on Oct. 31, 2020. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has said she plans to sign into law new legislation allowing children to work in roles that were previously prohibited and for longer hours.

Reynolds, a Republican, told The Washington Post in a statement on May 4, “Iowans are proud to be known for our strong work ethic, and we want to instill those same values in the next generation.”

She added that the legislation, Senate File 542, removes “unnecessary restrictions” on minors who want to work while also granting them new opportunities “to work to get ahead in life or save money for college.”

The bill passed the GOP-controlled Iowa Senate in a 32–17 vote in April.

Under the legislation, children as young as 14 would be allowed to work in a string of positions such as retail, food service, office work, cleaning, and in kitchens.

They would also be able to work in areas such as manufacturing and operate heavy machinery, as part of a “work-based learning program” approved by Iowa Workforce Development or the Iowa Department of Education.

The legislation also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcoholic beverages at restaurants, as long as they receive written permission from their parent or guardian.

Jobs Will Grant Kids ‘Responsibility, Paycheck’

Additionally, the bill allows minors as young as 14 to work up to six hours a day until 9 p.m., two more than currently allowed for that age group, during the school year and until 11 p.m. during the summer.

The bill expressly prohibits minors under the age of 13 from working in any work activity. Employers who violate the law could face a $10,000 civil penalty.

Republican lawmakers who support the bill say that it will grant minors new opportunities to work and receive a paycheck, something that will likely appeal to the younger generation at a time of soaring inflation.

“While the responsibility of having a job might be more valuable than having a paycheck, the reward of the paycheck will allow these youth who want to have a job to possibly save for a car, maybe buy a prom dress, go to a summer camp, take a date out for the weekend,” said Republican state Sen. Adrian Dickey during the Senate’s vote on the bill in April, Des Moines Register reported.

However, Democrats have argued that the bill simply uses minors to help tackle the state’s current work shortages, filling in the gap in Iowa’s workforce. They also fear the bill could cause harm to children, and could see an increase in workplace accidents and injuries among minors.

According to the latest data from Iowa Workforce Development, the state’s unemployment rate fell to 2.8 percent in March, just below the national rate of 3.5 percent.

State Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat, told fellow lawmakers during last month’s vote that the bill is “as bad as it gets,” adding that the current labor shortage across the state was owing, in part, to low wages.

“Most of the states touching Iowa all have higher wages,” Celsi said of the state’s $7.25 minimum wage.

‘Our Kids Belong in School’

“Our kids belong in school learning with their friends, they don’t belong in restaurants and bars with adults late on a school night, they shouldn’t be in a freezer or meatpacking plant,” she said. “We should have businesses who keep kids out of harm’s way, not exploit them and expose them to injury or liability. This is a bad bill that will harm the most vulnerable in our state.”

Elsewhere, state Sen. Nate Boulton, a Democrat, told Republicans during April’s vote: “You don’t like it being branded as a bill about child labor, but yet your bill talks about kids getting injured in the workplace. So let’s make it about taking care of kids who are injured working in these jobs because it will happen.”

Some labor unions have also condemned the bill.

However, Reynolds also championed the bill back in April, pointing to her own experience working as a babysitter and waitress in her youth.

“That’s good experience,” she told reporters on April 4. “You know, it teaches the kids a lot and if they have the time to do it and they want to earn some additional money I don’t think we should discourage that.”

“Ultimately, parents and kids will decide if they want to work or not,” Reynolds added.

Additionally, a string of other states, including Arkansas, Minnesota, Ohio, and Georgia have introduced or passed similar bills allowing minors to work in paid roles, while lawmakers in Wisconsin this week introduced a bill that would allow children as young as 14 to serve alcohol to seated customers in bars and restaurants to tackle the state’s work shortages.