Bill > SR81

This resolution seeks to ratify a proposed constitutional amendment from 1924 (House Joint Resolution 184) that would give Congress the power to limit, regulate, and prohibit labor for persons under eighteen years of age. The resolution provides historical context about child labor in the United States, noting that in 1900, approximately two million children were working in various industries, and early congressional attempts to regulate child labor through the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act and Child Labor Tax Law were struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. Although the proposed amendment was originally submitted to state legislatures in 1924 and only received ratification from 28 states (short of the required three-fourths), it remains technically outstanding since no ratification deadline was set. The resolution argues that while federal child labor regulations now exist through the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, ratifying this amendment would symbolically put Hawaii "on the right side of history." If ratified, the amendment would grant Congress explicit constitutional authority to regulate child labor while preserving states' rights to enact their own labor regulations.

Government Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SR&billnumber=81&year=2025