Feb 2, 2012
USDOL revises child-labor proposal

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Wage and Hour Division announced Feb. 1 it would re-propose the portion of its regulation on child labor in agriculture interpreting the “parental exemption.”

The decision to re-propose was, in part, a response to requests from the public and members of Congress that the agency allow an opportunity for more input on that aspect of the rule, according to USDOL.

The parental exemption allows children of any age who are employed by their parent, or a person standing in the place of a parent, to perform any job on a farm owned or operated by their parent or such person standing in the place of a parent. Congress created the parental exemption in 1966 when it expanded protections for children employed in agriculture and prohibited their employment in jobs USDOL declared particularly hazardous for children under the age of 16 to perform.

The department recognizes the unique attributes of farm families and rural communities. The re-proposal process will seek comments and inputs as to how the department can comply with statutory requirements to protect children, while respecting rural traditions. The re-proposed portion of the rule is expected to be published for public comment by early summer. USDOL will continue to review the comments received regarding the remaining portions of the proposed rule for inclusion in a final rule.

Until the revised exemption is final, the Wage and Hour Division will apply the parental exemption to situations in which the parent or person standing in the place of a parent is a part owner of the farm, a partner in a partnership or an officer of a corporation that owns the farm if the ownership interest in the partnership or corporation is substantial. This approach is consistent with guidance the Wage and Hour Division has provided to the public on its website for the past several years, according to USDOL.

The department published and invited public comments on its proposed rule on child labor in agriculture on Sept. 2, 2011. The proposed rule aimed to increase protections for children working in agriculture while preserving the benefits that safe and healthy work can provide. The Wage and Hour Division was driven to update its 40-year-old child labor regulations by studies showing that children are significantly more likely to be killed while performing agricultural work than while working in all other industries combined. USDOL’s child labor in agriculture statutory authority extends only to children employed in agriculture who are 15 years of age or younger.


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