A bill in the Michigan House of Representatives would roll back the state’s youth work permit system.
The legislation under consideration in committee would affect regulations on employment for children under 16 years old, including the number of hours they can work.
The bill would also replace the current age verification system that’s centralized in the state Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity with age checks performed by individual employers.
Anne Kuhnen, the Kids Count Policy Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, said that’s much less effective.
“The age verification system being proposed is really what it sounds like. All it does is ask the employers to have documentation that shows how old a minor is in their employment,” said Kuhnen.
She said the current system has multiple layers of verification checks as well as information for both the minor and their parents informing them of their rights in the workplace.
Kuhnen said the bill would also prohibit the state Labor Department from revoking work authorization based on school performance.
This would allow a student under age 16 to continue working despite poor academic standing like chronic absenteeism or tardiness, or disciplinary issues.
The proposal amounts to a loosening of child labor restrictions, Kuhnen said, arguing that would place the state’s children at risk.
“Research has shown that states with work permit system requirements see 17% fewer child labor violations under the Federal Labor Standards Act,” said Kuhnen.
“If we really value the lives and well-being of all children, then our laws really need to reflect those values,” Kuhnen said.
