Let Our Youth Thrive: Remove Unnecessary Work Permit Requirements
- BY FGA
THE PROBLEM: OBSTACLES TO EMPLOYMENT
- To legally get a job in 34 states, teenagers must obtain a work permit from a government officer tasked with reviewing the teenagers’ occupations, work hours, and future employer information.
- Depending on state policy, bureaucrats can also require a physical examination from a doctor!
- Plus, bureaucrats can unilaterally determine whether or not a job is in the child’s best interest.
PARENTS VS. EDUCATORS & REGULATORS
Right now, when a state requires bureaucratic approval before a teenager can work, schools and agencies can override parents.
Millions of teenagers want to join the workforce, and if their parents approve, then the government should not have the ability to undermine their decision. States should be allowing teenagers to decide, with their parents, to get a job—not the government.
THE SOLUTION: ELIMINATE YOUTH WORK PERMITS
State lawmakers can have an immediate impact on their local communities and economies by eliminating work permit requirements for teenagers.
SOME STRINGENT STATES
In Michigan, teenagers must obtain work permits if they’re homeschooled, each time they switch jobs, and even during the summer and for unpaid volunteer work.
Ohio is one of the states that requires a physician’s certificate indicating a teenager is “physically fit to be employed.”
Pennsylvania requires kids who have already graduated high school to obtain a work permit.
