Wisconsin Republicans propose eliminating work permit requirements for 14- and 15-year-olds

Children in Wisconsin may no longer need work permits under proposed bill

Children ages 14 and 15 would no longer need a work permit or parental permission to get a job under a bill Republican Wisconsin lawmakers released on Friday.

The proposal comes amid a wider push by state lawmakers to roll back child labor laws and despite the efforts of federal investigators to crack down on a surge in child labor violations nationally.

Under current law, 14- and 15-year-olds in Wisconsin are prohibited from working most jobs unless they have permission from a parent or guardian and have verified their age with the state Department of Workforce Development. The department can revoke youth work permits at any time if it believes a child’s safety is being threatened.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Impacted:

1. Goal 4: Quality Education
2. Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
3. Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

SEE ALSO | Proposed Wisconsin labor law hopes to ease worker shortage with longer hours for teens age 14, 15

Sen. Cory Tomczyk and Reps. Clint Moses and Amy Binsfeld, the Republicans sponsoring the bill, called youth work permits “needless administrative barriers that slow down the hiring process.”

“It’s important that young people have the opportunity to work without having to endure excessive government regulation,” they said in a statement asking other lawmakers to cosponsor the bill.

The bill continues to require employers to keep their own records of employees’ ages and hours worked, but without work permits verified by a state agency, companies caught violating child labor laws can more easily claim ignorance.

Earlier this year, the Labor Department fined Wisconsin-based meat packing contractor Packers Sanitation more than $1.5 million for employing at least 100 children, some as young as 13, to clean dangerous equipment such as bone saws and skull splitters in plants across the U.S. The company claimed it wasn’t aware that those workers were minors but said it has since taken steps to improve the way it verifies employees’ ages.

READ MORE | Syl’s Restaurant and Lounge in Joliet violated child labor laws, ordered to pay more than $18K: feds

State lawmakers across the country, largely Republicans, have in recent years embraced legislation that would allow kids to work longer hours and in more hazardous occupations. Many such bills were proposed as solutions to worker shortages, but advocates against child labor have decried the measures as needlessly endangering children.

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law in March eliminating permits that, similar to those in Wisconsin, required employers to verify a child’s age and obtain a parent’s consent.

Sanders later signed separate legislation raising civil penalties and creating criminal penalties for violating child labor laws, but advocates worry that eliminating the permit requirement makes it significantly more difficult to investigate violations because there are fewer records of where kids are being employed.

Earlier this year, Wisconsin Republicans proposed allowing children as young as 14 to serve alcohol in restaurants and bars. If that bill passed, Wisconsin would have the lowest such limit nationwide, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The work permits bill proposed Friday follows little more than a month after a 16-year-old boy in northern Wisconsin died while working at a sawmill. Initial reports suggest that Michael Schuls was performing work allowed by state laws when he was killed by a wood-stacking machine, but his death and the deaths of other teen workers this summer have brought increased attention to child labor rules.

SEE ALSO | 10-year-old children were found working at a Louisville McDonald’s until 2 a.m.

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 4: Quality Education
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The article discusses the proposed bill in Wisconsin that aims to remove work permit requirements for children aged 14 and 15. This issue is connected to SDG 8, which focuses on promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all. It is also connected to SDG 4, as it relates to the education and skills development of young people. Additionally, the article mentions child labor violations and the need for strong institutions to enforce child labor laws, which aligns with SDG 16.

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

• Target 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.
• Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurship.
• Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

The proposed bill in Wisconsin relates to Target 8.7 of SDG 8, as it addresses the issue of child labor by removing work permit requirements for children aged 14 and 15. This target aims to eradicate the worst forms of child labor. It also aligns with Target 4.4 of SDG 4, as it relates to providing relevant skills and employment opportunities for young people. Additionally, the article mentions child labor violations, which highlights the need to address abuse, exploitation, and violence against children, aligning with Target 16.2 of SDG 16.

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

• Indicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labor, by sex and age group.
• Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill.
• Indicator 16.2.2: Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators related to the identified targets. However, Indicator 8.7.1 can be used to measure progress towards eradicating child labor by tracking the proportion and number of children engaged in child labor. Indicator 4.4.1 can measure progress in providing relevant skills for employment by tracking the proportion of youth and adults with ICT skills. Indicator 16.2.2 can measure progress in addressing exploitation and trafficking of children by tracking the number of victims per population.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: abc7chicago.com

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