Florida considers easing child labor laws after pushing out immigrants – MSNBC

Florida Lawmakers Seek to Loosen Child Labor Laws

As Florida officials enable Trump’s mass deportation policies, lawmakers in the state are looking to children to take on some of the jobs that have typically been done by immigrants.

Making its way through the state Senate is a new law, Senate Bill 918, that aims to loosen child labor laws and allow teenagers to work overnight shifts.

Loosening Child Labor Laws in Florida

1. The state’s legislature on Tuesday advanced a bill that would loosen child labor laws, allowing children as young as 14 years old to work overnight shifts. If the new law is passed, teenagers would be able to work overnight jobs on school days. They are currently prevented from working earlier than 6:30 am or later than 11 pm per state law.

S.B. 918 also “includes a number of changes including eliminating working time restrictions on teenagers aged 14 and 15 if they are home-schooled and ending guaranteed meal breaks for 16 and 17 year olds,” CNN reported.

Support from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis backs the law and has defended the idea of teenagers and college students working these jobs. DeSantis also explicitly linked the effort to the loss of immigrant labor. Speaking about the consequences of state verification laws at an event with border czar Tom Homan, the governor said, “Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people. And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now?”

Rolling Back Child Labor Laws in the U.S.

• In recent years, several states — many of them led by Republican governors — have rolled back child labor laws. This map from the Economic Policy Institute illustrates the spike in states rolling back these laws from 2021 to 2024. Back in 2023, for example, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill that made it easier for companies to hire children without getting consent from their parents. One month earlier, The New York Times published a bombshell report about the exploitation of immigrant children in factories operated by some of the most well-known companies in the U.S.

That story should have spurred a nationwide push to strengthen child labor laws. Instead, states like Florida are going in the opposite direction, weakening such laws in part to deal with the fallout from the conservative movement’s demonization of immigrants. They’re essentially using child labor to paper over the gaps left by their draconian immigration policies.

Far-Right Playbook and Social Service Cuts

• Project 2025, the far-right playbook for Trump’s second term, specifically calls for rolling back “hazard” regulations around child labor. The text claims, “Some young adults show an interest in inherently dangerous jobs” and argues that “with parental consent and proper training, certain young adults should be allowed to learn and work in more dangerous occupations.”

Even as child labor laws are being rolled back, the Trump administration is working to gut social services, including funds that help provide school lunches to children and programs, like the supplemental nutrition assistance program, that help feed poor families. And if those cuts stay in place, they may leave American families with few alternatives to sending their children to work to keep food on the table.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to these SDGs because they involve child labor, immigration policies, and the impact on labor laws and social services.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
• SDG 10.7: Facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.
• SDG 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
• SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

The article’s content relates to these targets as it discusses child labor laws, immigration policies, and the exploitation of immigrant children.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 8.7: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group.
• Indicator for SDG 10.7: Number of countries that have implemented well-managed migration policies.
• Indicator for SDG 12.2: Domestic material consumption per capita.
• Indicator for SDG 16.3: Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized mechanisms.

These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets by tracking the relevant data and statistics related to child labor, migration policies, resource consumption, and reporting of violence.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: msnbc.com