Child Labor Rules –Bending Yardsticks For Youth Working On Farms?

Rep. Tom Latham of Iowa, critical and disapproving of the laws, setting stricter norms for youth employment in family farms, has introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Congress that will act as an impediment to the laws implementation, by restricting finalization of the rule.

According to a press release from Latham’s office, the “Bill blocks recent attempts by the U.S. Department of Labor to increase federal regulatory involvement into family farms that risk outlawing farm youth from working on their family-owned farms. “

The laws were enacted by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure that when the youth work on farms, the work environment is safe and protected and does not endanger their wellbeing, safety or educational opportunities.

Rep. Latham said, “The family farm is one of Iowa’s most cherished traditions and a cornerstone of our state and nation’s economy and cultural history,” “The armies of federal bureaucrats who spend day after day drawing up new regulations have now set their sights on the institution of the family farm. It is a misguided idea that threatens the ability of America’s youth to contribute to farms owned by their own families. My legislation blocks Washington’s regulation monster from yet another intrusion into the operations of our family farms,” he concluded.

Rep. Dan Boren, from Oklahoma, who jointly introduced the Bill along with Congressman Latham, felt that the Bill was misguided and said, “Many family farms in Oklahoma depend on the contributions of youth for their successful operation,” “While I understand the concern for safety of young people on farms, the government should be careful to not adversely impact these small businesses.  I look forward to working with my colleague Congressman Latham to advance this bill.”

The Legislation, called ‘Preserving America’s Family Farms Act’ states that family farms rely considerably on the assistance of youth for their successful operations. Moreover, it feels that the new rules will adversely impact the opportunity provided to the youth to learn valuable skills.

Farm work is traditionally known to instill strong human values of hard work, character and leadership and this hands-on opportunity would be denied to them, if these laws came into effect.

People who want to see the U.S. Department of Labor, news laws become legislation, argue that the child labor laws, especially regarding farms and agriculture, was drafted way back in the 1930’s and its time the archaic and antiquated laws got updated. It may be a traditional vocation, but there is no denying that children working on farms legally do hazardous work, that they would not be allowed to perform in any other industry.