(FeaturedNews.com) – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a GOP bill that would have given 14-and 15-year-olds in Wisconsin the right to get a job without requiring a state permit or parental permission.
The bill had passed the Legislature along partisan lines with all the Republicans voting in support of it, while all the Democrats had opposed it. The proposal had come as state lawmakers have been pushing to withdraw some child labor laws, despite the fact that there are federal efforts to address the increase in child labor violations across the country.
Evers in his veto message pointed out that calling for more kids to enter the workforce was not a solution to the statewide workforce issues. He added that the reason he had vetoed the bill was because it eliminated the process that helped protect children from possible exploitation and dangerous working conditions.
The GOP does not have the necessary votes to override the governor’s veto.
Republican supporters of the bill have argued that this was going to help the state’s workforce as it would eliminate the red tape for teenagers who wanted to get a job. However, opponents have argued that the work permit system is essential to protecting the safety and health of children that want to get a job.
The proposal did not include any changes to the state law that determines the number of hours that a minor can work. The protections in place prohibiting minors from working dangerous jobs would also remain the same.
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