Aiming to ease the labor difficulties of restaurateurs and other employers in Iowa, the state Senate passed a bill earlier this week that significantly expands the hours and duties permitted for teenaged workers.
Among the more significant changes is allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to serve alcoholic beverages if written permission is granted by a parent or guardian. Minors would only be allowed to serve alcohol in restaurants, with bars and strip clubs still off-limits for the youngsters.
In addition, the hours a 14 or 15-year-old can work would be expanded to six per night, up to a weekly cap of 28 per week, while school is in session. The current cap is four hours per school night.
The bill also expands the scope of those hours. Youngsters under age 16 would be permitted to work until 9 p.m., or past the current limit of 7 p.m., and until 11 p.m. while schools are on summer break.
To further ease employers’ difficulties, state officials would be required to study the feasibility of creating a special license that allows 14-year-olds to drive to and from work.
The bill was passed by a partisan vote of 32-17, with all but two Republican senators supporting it and every Democrat voting in opposition.
The legislation has yet to be approved by Iowa’s House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority of the seats. It would then need to be signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican.
Proposals similar to the Iowa bill are currently under consideration in a number of states. Last month, Arkansas enacted a law that waives the need for children under age 16 to secure state documentation before they take a job.
The activity comes as federal labor regulators report a 67% increase in complaints of child-labor law violations nationwide.
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