utrgvtv 
EDINBURG- Following the rollback in child labor protections in states such as Arkansas, the Iowa Senate passed Senate Bill 542, which will allow teens to work longer hours and in potentially risky occupations.
Passed on April 18, 2023 revisions of the bill include exemptions in section 92.8, which now allows teens aged 14 to 17 to work in restricted industries under work-study programs such as meat processing.
Other revisions include the permittance of teens aged 16 and 17 to serve alcohol in restaurants, and for 15-year-olds to work on assembly lines.
President of the Iowa Federation of Labor Charlie Wishman, stated that Senate Bill 542 could exacerbate problems the organization has seen within the current workforce in the U.S.
“There has been all across, especially here in the Midwest,” said Wishman, “we’ve seen in meatpacking plants kids as young as 12, working in dangerous conditions with dangerous chemicals. It’s sad. But I think it goes to some of the motivations of this bill and where it comes from.”
As reported by the State of Texas Children, 68% of children in the Valley come from high-poverty neighborhoods.
UTRGV Political Science Lecturer Bryant William Sculos believes child labor protection rollbacks could have larger ramifications for children from marginalized communities such as here in the Valley.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if Texas is at the forefront of some of this,” said Sculos. “When you have low-income families, you know, kids know when their parents are struggling to make ends meet […] there are a lot of kids who are going to jump at the opportunity. But the laws should be protecting them from that type of pressure, particularly for immigrant families, communities of color.”
Alongside campaigns in Iowa for better protections in the workforce, the Texas Federation of Labor is currently rallying workers in the state and advocating for lawmakers to implement better protections for the labor force.
