Lawmakers mull easing child labor laws
Lawmakers are debating loosening the state's child labor laws to allow minors to work longer hours and earn less than minimum wage.
LD 1346, sponsored by Rep. David Burns, R-Whiting, would remove limits on hours worked by minors 16 and older during the school year and require employers to pay employees aged 20 and under a trial wage of $5.25 an hour during their first six months of employment, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network. The state's minimum wage is $7.50 an hour. A public hearing on the bill has not yet been set, according to the Sun Journal.
Another bill, sponsored by Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, and supported by Gov. Paul LePage, would increase the number of hours minors can work during the school year from 20 to 24 hours a week, and push back the time minors can work to on a school night from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., according to the Sun Journal. That bill is slated to go to the Senate soon.
Some businesses, including those in the hospitality and restaurant industry, support the changes, saying they will give employers more flexibility to hire minors. Democrats and labor advocates, however, say the changes would harm students' educational achievements.
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