The Indiana House of Representatives advanced Republican State Representative Kendell Culp’s legislation, which he said supports and protects Hoosier teenagers who want hands-on experience in the workplace.
He previously discussed the proposed bill in January prior to the start of the legislative session. The bill focuses on youth in the workforce.
“The government is saying that you can’t work past 9 p.m. So, basically when I looked into it, we have more restrictive laws, regulations, on that youth employment in Indiana than the federal government does. This bill just aligns our standards with the federal standards which means we’re going to allow youth, maybe, in some cases, to work more hours than Indiana is allowing them. In a time where we have a workforce issue in Indiana, it doesn’t make a lot of sense, to me, to tell our youth you can’t work because it’s too late for you to work when the parents say it’s not too late.”
Culp said House Bill 1093 would also allow 16- or 17-year-olds to perform farm jobs.
Culp said the bill also makes it clear that students who complete the eighth grade can work during traditional school hours with parent approval. He said this portion of the bill supports non-traditional students like those that are homeschooled along with the Amish and Mennonite who are exempt from compulsory attendance.
House Bill 1093 now heads to the Indiana Senate for consideration.
