DoomsdaysCW<p>Ummm... <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Florida" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Florida</span></a> considers easing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChildLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ChildLabor</span></a> laws after pushing out <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/immigrants" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>immigrants</span></a></p><p>A new law under consideration in the state Legislature would roll back child labor laws to make up for a dwindling labor pool.</p><p>By Ja&#39;han Jones, March 27, 2025</p><p>Excerpt: &quot;Florida Gov. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RonDeSantis" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RonDeSantis</span></a> backs the law and has defended the idea of teenagers and college students working these jobs. DeSantis also explicitly linked the effort to the loss of immigrant labor. Speaking about the consequences of state verification laws at an event with border czar <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TomHoman" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>TomHoman</span></a>, the governor said, &#39;Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people. And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now?&#39;</p><p>&quot;In recent years, several states — many of them led by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Republican" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Republican</span></a> governors — have rolled back child labor laws. This map from the Economic Policy Institute illustrates the spike in states rolling back these laws from 2021 to 2024. Back in 2023, for example, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Arkansas" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Arkansas</span></a> Gov. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SarahHuckabeeSanders" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SarahHuckabeeSanders</span></a> signed a bill that made it easier for companies to hire children without getting consent from their parents. One month earlier, The New York Times published a bombshell report about the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/exploitation" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>exploitation</span></a> of immigrant children in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/factories" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>factories</span></a> operated by some of the most well-known companies in the U.S. </p><p>&quot;That story should have spurred a nationwide push to strengthen child labor laws. Instead, states like Florida are going in the opposite direction, weakening such laws in part to deal with the fallout from the conservative movement’s demonization of immigrants. They’re essentially using child labor to paper over the gaps left by their draconian immigration policies.</p><p>&quot;<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Project2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Project2025</span></a>, the far-right playbook for Trump’s second term, specifically calls for rolling back &#39;hazard&#39; regulations around child labor. The text claims, &#39;Some young adults show an interest in inherently dangerous jobs&#39; and argues that &#39;with parental consent and proper training, certain young adults should be allowed to learn and work in more dangerous occupations.&#39;</p><p>&quot;Even as child labor laws are being rolled back, the Trump administration is working to gut <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SocialServices" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SocialServices</span></a>, including funds that help provide <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SchoolLunches" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SchoolLunches</span></a> to children and programs, like the supplemental nutrition assistance program [<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SNAP" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SNAP</span></a>], that help feed poor families. And if those cuts stay in place, they may leave American families with few alternatives to sending their children to work to keep food on the table.&quot;</p><p>Full article:<br /><a href="https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/florida-child-labor-law-sb-918-rcna198275" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/f</span><span class="invisible">lorida-child-labor-law-sb-918-rcna198275</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SB918" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SB918</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FloridaPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>FloridaPol</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>USPol</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Scrooge" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Scrooge</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ICERaids" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ICERaids</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ChildLabor" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ChildLabor</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HungerGames" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>HungerGames</span></a></p>