HB1410 eliminates the requirement that minors who are under 16 years of age have to obtain a state-issued work permit prior to employment.
The Senate passed HB1410 on March 2, 2023, by a vote of 24 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the yeas because young persons (e.g., 14 or 15-year-olds) who have reached an age of discretion should not be subject to “child labor laws” or other unreasonable barriers to willful and gainful employment. Parents—not the government—should have the final decision-making authority over as to whether their minor children can work. Arkansas needs to protect the fundamental rights of parents, which are retained under the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
