Let kids work longer hours

Is it time for teens to work a little longer? That is the premise of a bill being debated in Madison. The plan is to expand the time and number of hours minors can punch the clock in Wisconsin. There are very specific rules about how early, and how late, teens can be scheduled to work. This bill would allow many small businesses to schedule later working hours for those under 16. Right now those minors cannot work before 7am and as late as 7pm during the school year and as late as 9pm in the summer months. This bill would allow them to start working one hour earlier, as late as 9:30pm on school nights and until 11pm if the next day is not a school day. That makes sense. Many kids want to work more hours, and doing so helps keep them out of trouble. It puts a little more money in their pockets. And it isn’t like they’re going right to bed when their shift ends at 7 on school nights. They’ll still have plenty of time for homework, and video games. Allowing teens to work longer hours would also help reduce the labor shortage and provide businesses more staffing they desperately need. This bill has passed the Wisconsin Senate and been sent to the Assembly for a vote. Lawmakers there should pass this bill without delay, and help our struggling small businesses find the workers they need to stay in business.