Send them to the coal mines! Ohio lawmakers throwing out decades of child labor laws: Today in Ohio – Cleveland.com

Report on Recent Legislative and Social Developments in Ohio in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

H2: Labor Rights, Education, and Economic Growth

H3: New Legislation on Youth Employment and its Conflict with SDG 8

The Ohio legislature has passed a bill with significant implications for several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new legislation permits 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights and allows employers to pay them a sub-minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which is below the state’s minimum wage of $10.70.

• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): This legislation raises concerns regarding Target 8.7, which calls for the eradication of child labor, and Target 8.8, which aims to protect labor rights. Permitting later working hours and lower pay for minors is viewed as a regression from these goals, prioritizing business needs over the protection of young workers.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Extended work hours on school nights may negatively impact the educational attainment and well-being of students, undermining the objective of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The creation of a separate, lower wage tier for the youngest workers institutionalizes income inequality. It may also place undue pressure on families experiencing economic hardship, potentially conflicting with SDG 1 (No Poverty).

H2: Governance, Justice, and Institutional Integrity

H3: Taxation, Representation, and SDG 16

A legislative proposal, House Bill 503, seeks to address municipal income tax policies that disproportionately affect non-resident commuters. The bill would require voter approval for changes to city income tax credits, addressing what critics call “taxation without representation.”

• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): This issue directly relates to the goal of building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. The current system, where non-residents are taxed without having a say in municipal governance, challenges the principles of fairness and representation central to SDG 16.

H3: Local Government Accountability and Transparency

Recent events in Cuyahoga County highlight challenges to institutional accountability, a core tenet of SDG 16.

1. Alleged Retaliation: Two fiscal officers from the Sheriff’s Department were transferred one day after they publicly questioned the County Executive’s budget figures before the County Council. This action has raised concerns about retaliation against public employees for providing transparent financial information.
2. Charter Dispute: A jurisdictional dispute between the County Executive and the County Prosecutor over control of the county’s legal affairs is set to be decided by voters through a charter amendment. This conflict underscores ongoing challenges in defining clear roles and responsibilities within government structures, which can impede institutional effectiveness.

H2: Health, Well-being, and Equality

H3: Advancements and Setbacks in Public Health Initiatives

Ohio is addressing public health through various initiatives, with actions that both align with and contradict key SDG targets.

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): In a positive step toward Target 3.4 (promote mental health and well-being), the state has expanded its mobile response and stabilization services program for youth in mental health crises to all 88 counties. This initiative provides immediate, free support and is accessible via the 988 crisis lifeline.
• SDG 3 & SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Conversely, a proposed bill aims to restrict mail-order access to medications with certain risk profiles, including mifepristone, which is used for medical abortions. This action is seen by critics as an attempt to limit reproductive healthcare access, directly challenging SDG Target 3.7 (ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services) and the broader goals of SDG 5.

H3: Recognizing Historical Contributions to Equality (SDG 10)

A new mural honoring the Tuskegee Airmen has been unveiled at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This project serves as a public acknowledgment of the role these Black military pilots played in combating racial discrimination and advancing the desegregation of the U.S. military. This initiative supports SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by educating the public and celebrating historical progress toward a more equitable society.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article extensively discusses youth mental health, citing CDC data on sadness and hopelessness among high schoolers. It details Ohio’s efforts to expand mental health services, such as the mobile response program, which directly aligns with promoting well-being.
• It also covers the issue of abortion rights, specifically a legislative move to restrict mail-order access to abortion-inducing medication. This relates to ensuring access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The proposed law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights is connected to this goal. Such working hours can negatively impact a student’s ability to focus on their studies, complete homework, and get adequate rest, thereby affecting the quality of their education.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• The discussion on the legislative attempt to restrict access to abortion medication connects to this goal, as it pertains to ensuring universal access to reproductive health and rights, which is a key component of gender equality.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The primary topic of the new child labor law in Ohio directly addresses this goal. The article highlights issues of child labor, working hours for minors, and unequal pay, as the law would allow teenagers to be paid significantly less than the state minimum wage for adults.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The article touches upon economic inequality by mentioning that the new child labor law allows teens to be paid “$3.45 less per hour than adults.”
• The issue of “taxation without representation,” where commuters pay income tax to cities where they work but cannot vote, highlights inequality in civic participation and tax burdens.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article discusses several issues related to the effectiveness and accountability of institutions. This includes the legislature’s move to pass laws on child labor and abortion that are portrayed as being against public interest or majority will.
• The “taxation without representation” debate and the proposed bill to require voter approval for tax credit changes relate to making decision-making more inclusive and representative.
• The alleged retaliation against sheriff’s department employees for questioning budget numbers points to a lack of transparency and accountability within government institutions.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The article’s focus on the youth mental health crisis, citing that “40% of high schoolers nationwide say that they felt persistent sadness or hopelessness,” and the state’s expansion of a mobile crisis response program directly addresses the promotion of mental health.
• Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes. The legislative effort to “restrict mail order availability” of mifepristone, a drug used for medical abortions, is a direct challenge to ensuring universal access to reproductive health-care services.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. The article implies a threat to this target by discussing the law allowing “14 and 15 year olds… eighth graders and freshmen in high school” to work until 9 p.m. on school nights, which could compromise their educational performance and outcomes.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences. The article highlights a proposed bill that “is another attempt to chip away the abortion rights in Ohio,” which directly contradicts the goal of ensuring universal access to reproductive rights.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. The article points out a direct violation of the “equal pay for work of equal value” principle by stating that the new law allows employers to pay 14- and 15-year-olds “$7.25 an hour,” which is “$3.45 less per hour than adults get paid” under the Ohio minimum wage of $10.70.
• Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour… and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms. The article discusses a legislative action that expands the working hours for 14- and 15-year-olds, which critics in the article see as a step backward, “to return our society to the late 1800s,” and a weakening of child labor protections.
• Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers… The article questions the safety and appropriateness of having young teenagers work late on school nights, noting that “the federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act, does not allow 14 and 15 year olds to work past 7 p.m.” This implies a concern for creating a less safe or healthy working environment for young workers.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The alleged retaliation against two sheriff’s department fiscal officers who were “transferred to the county central fiscal department just one day after questioning the county budget numbers” suggests a lack of accountability and transparency in local government.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The article highlights a lack of representative decision-making in the “taxation without representation” issue, where “outsiders who work in the cities” pay taxes but have no say in city governance. The discussion of the legislature ignoring the will of voters who “voted in large numbers to enshrine abortion as a right” also points to a failure in responsive decision-making.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Mental Health Status: The article explicitly mentions CDC data that “40% of high schoolers nationwide say that they felt persistent sadness or hopelessness in the past year.” This percentage serves as a direct indicator of the mental well-being of young people.
• Suicide Mortality Rate: The article states that “suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among people ages 10 to 34,” which is a direct reference to indicator 3.4.2 (Suicide mortality rate).
• Access to Crisis Services: The statistic that Ohio’s mobile response program “got more than 10,000 calls” between July 2024 and June 2025, with “most of them… tied to suicide risk,” can be used as an indicator of both the demand for and provision of mental health crisis services.
• Legal and Regulatory Framework for Reproductive Health: The proposed bill to “restrict mail order availability” of mifepristone is an indicator of the legal framework surrounding access to reproductive health services. Its passage or defeat would measure progress toward or away from Target 3.7.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Prevalence of Child Labor: The passage of the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights is a legislative indicator that can be used to measure the state’s stance on child labor protections.
• Wage Gaps: The article provides specific figures that can be used as an indicator for wage inequality: a wage of “$7.25 an hour” for teens compared to the state minimum wage of “$10.70” for adults. This data can be used to measure progress towards equal pay for work of equal value.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Existence of Independent Oversight Mechanisms: The alleged retaliation against public employees who “refuted what County Executive Chris Ronayne has been saying about cutting expenses” implies a lack of protection for whistleblowers or those who challenge official narratives. The handling of this situation can serve as an indicator of institutional accountability.
• Proportion of Population Believing Decision-Making is Inclusive and Responsive: While not a quantitative figure, the article’s repeated assertion that “Republicans in the state legislature repeatedly prove they really don’t care what Ohioans think” reflects a public perception that can be measured through surveys, serving as an indicator for Target 16.7.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: cleveland.com