Bill > H3845

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to regulate child labor by adding a new Article XX to the United States Constitution. Specifically, the proposed amendment would empower Congress to limit, regulate, and prohibit labor for persons under 18 years of age, while also preserving states' existing legislative powers except where federal legislation requires suspension of state laws. The bill represents Massachusetts' formal ratification of this proposed constitutional amendment, which would require approval by three-fourths of state legislatures to become law. If ratified, this amendment would provide a federal constitutional basis for comprehensive child labor regulations, potentially addressing issues like working conditions, hours, and minimum age requirements for young workers. The bill also includes a provision for the Secretary of the Commonwealth to send a certified copy of the resolution to the Archivist of the United States, as required by federal law, to formally document the state's ratification.