(NewsNation) — A proposed bill is threatening a Louisiana law that requires minors to take a 30-minute break if they work five or more hours.
Louisiana Rep. Tammy Phelps (D), who is opposing the legislation, joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” to discuss the controversial bill, pointing out that the representative spearheading the bill is a business owner himself.
“[Minors] need parental permission to work. Why would you consider them young adults? That was literally his verbiage,” Phelps said. “He is, of course, a business owner. And I just could not believe it. We actually had this conversation, is this about your business? Or is this about minors working?”
The bill, proposed by Rep. Roger Wilder, is part of a broad effort by Republicans in the state to weaken labor unions and strengthen employers’ hands.
Wilder argued that a break shouldn’t be a requirement, but instead, minors should be able to choose to take a break, because they should be treated as adults.
“Give me a break they’re young adults,” Wilder said on the House floor. “The emancipation age is 16, you’re allowed to marry at 16, you’re allowed to drive at 16. Those are all adult actions.”
“It took all of me, when I went to the floor, to not reflect on sort of a slave mentality that that was kind of bothering me a lot,” Phelps said. “it’s called a part-time job, they’re not full-time employees. When they could not work past 11 p.m. So those are the things that were put in place.”
The state’s House Labor and Industrial Relations panel advanced the child labor legislation along with two other bills. House Bill 119 would cut the amount of time people can collect unemployment aid, and House Bill 529, which changes how workers’ compensation wages are calculated to reduce benefits received by some injured laborers.
The series of bills is part of a push by Republicans to remove constraints on employers and reduce aid for injured and unemployed workers.