Youth Worker Protection Act to limit teens working hours!

A Bill in Congress plans to limit the number of hours a teen may work each week even in a possible 'career' choice area.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query

The above address takes you to this bill. It has received major support from the NEA, AFL-CIO, and prominent child labor organizations.

HB3139 Youth Worker Protection Act was introduced by Congressman Tom Lantos (CA)in Sept 2003. One of the goals of this bill is to seriously restrict the hours a teen may work.

For example, 16 and 17 year olds will not be permitted to work more than 4 hours per day, or 20 hours per week. Teens 14-15 will be limited to 3 hours per day, or 15 hours per week.

No opposition to the bill is expected, and if we do not act, it will become law. If we want to retain the right to structure our teens' educational/career goals, and maintain the right to maximize their teen years with apprenticeship and work opportunities, we will have to speak out.

The bill is more comprehensive than the issue of teen work hours, so we need to be specific about the part of the bill we are opposing and how it would impact our teens.

At this time, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce(202)225-4527 and Subcomm. ofc (202)225-7101. The staff indicated that there will not even be a scheduled hearing, so it is important that these offices be flooded with letters/phone calls on or before Jan 20th, when Congress will be back in session.

Contacts:

The Honorable Charlie Norwood
Chairman, Workforce Protection Subcommittee
Room 2452
Rayburn House Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable John Boehner
Chairman, Committee on Education & the Workforce
Room 2181
Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515