Kim Reynolds, the current Republican Governor of Iowa, recently signed a bill on Friday that loosened up the laws of child labor by extending the number of hours that a teen would work, and the establishments where they would be able to secure employment.
The state legislature passed on this bill, led by the GOP, earlier this month largely along the party lines, after multiple weeks of fierce debate. The Democrats also argued that easing up on the rules would be endangering the child, as well as distract them from school and other activities, while the backers of the bill maintained that it would be providing one with greater job opportunities. Iowa, therefore, has joined the other states that have introduced or brought in legislation that aims at loosening the child labor laws.
Kim Reynolds Has To Sign Up On Easing Child Labor Laws
In a statement, Kim Reynolds stated that with this particular legislation, Iowa joined 20 other states in providing tailored, common-sense labor provisions that would allow young adults to develop their many skills in the workforce. She added that in the state the people understood that there was dignity in the work that one did, and they also felt pride in their strong work ethic. Instilling those values in the next generation, as well as providing opportunities for young adults to earn, and then save to build a better life should be available for everyone.
Kim Reynolds, whose signature was pretty expected, has been quite a major proponent of expanding the opportunities for youth employment. Just the previous year, she signed up a bill that went on to lower the minimum age requirement to provide unsupervised care to school-age children, in childcare facilities.
