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From: Your Name <you@example.com>
To: Robert.DeLeo@State.MA.US
Subject: Take Action to Oppose HB 1791 - An Act Relative to Child Labor Law
Chairman Robert DeLeo
House Committee on Ways and Means
State House
Boston, MA 02133-1053
Re: HB 1791 - An Act Relative to Child Labor Law
Dear Chairman DeLeo:
I am writing to express my strongest opposition to HB 1791, An Active Relative to Child labor Law. This bill calls for the reduction in the penalties for child labor law violations by more than half unless the Attorney General could obtain proof that the employer's violation was willful.
The state's Child Labor Laws (CLL) were enacted to protect the safety and well-being of our children who work. Since 2000, eight Massachusetts teens were killed on the job many doing jobs prohibited under the Child Labor Laws. Each year an estimated 900 minors have been treated in emergency rooms for work-related injuries. Yet until the 2007 Child Labor Law reforms were passed, few employers were prosecuted for state Child Labor violations, even if these violations resulted in injury or death.
Prior to 2007, the CLL were rarely enforced by the Attorney General because there was no civil authority for that purpose and criminal courts were not inclined to pursue any but the most egregious violations. This limit in authority resulted in a lack of effective deterrence to employers who violate the laws. In 2007, CLL Reforms were passed granting the Attorney General civil authority. Penalties allowed under these new reforms were extremely low- up to $250 for the first violation, up to $500 for the second violation, and up to $2,500 for subsequent violations.
HB1791 would dramatically reduce deterrence and make the enforcement of the Child Labor Laws more costly and difficult for the Attorney General. Proving that a violation is 'willful' puts an enormous burden on the Attorney General's enforcement efforts. With fines already low, the cost of proving a violation to be willful would be untenable. The proposed law would mean that if a teen worker operates a forklift and is killed, the employer could be fined no more than $100, unless the Attorney General could prove the employer knowingly disregarded the law.
The fines provided for under the CLL reforms allow for a maximum of $250 for a first offense, giving the Attorney General discretion to impose a reduced fine for minor violations. In fact the AG has rarely assessed the maximum penalty, except in the event of hazardous order or egregious hour violations. The penalties for violating the state's wage and hour laws are fifteen times the amount called for under HB1791, up to $7,500 for a first non-willful offense. Do we care less about our children than we do about adult workers?
Please don't compromise the safety of our children by watering down the state's Child Labor Laws. Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Your Name
Your Organization
123 Your St.
Yousville, YO 12345
Phone: (123)456-7890
Fax: (123)456-7890x123
p.s.
Your Personal Statement
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To: Robert.DeLeo@State.MA.US
Subject: Take Action to Oppose HB 1791 - An Act Relative to Child Labor Law
Chairman Robert DeLeo
House Committee on Ways and Means
State House
Boston, MA 02133-1053
Re: HB 1791 - An Act Relative to Child Labor Law
Dear Chairman DeLeo:
I am writing to express my strongest opposition to HB 1791, An Active Relative to Child labor Law. This bill calls for the reduction in the penalties for child labor law violations by more than half unless the Attorney General could obtain proof that the employer's violation was willful.
The state's Child Labor Laws (CLL) were enacted to protect the safety and well-being of our children who work. Since 2000, eight Massachusetts teens were killed on the job many doing jobs prohibited under the Child Labor Laws. Each year an estimated 900 minors have been treated in emergency rooms for work-related injuries. Yet until the 2007 Child Labor Law reforms were passed, few employers were prosecuted for state Child Labor violations, even if these violations resulted in injury or death.
Prior to 2007, the CLL were rarely enforced by the Attorney General because there was no civil authority for that purpose and criminal courts were not inclined to pursue any but the most egregious violations. This limit in authority resulted in a lack of effective deterrence to employers who violate the laws. In 2007, CLL Reforms were passed granting the Attorney General civil authority. Penalties allowed under these new reforms were extremely low- up to $250 for the first violation, up to $500 for the second violation, and up to $2,500 for subsequent violations.
HB1791 would dramatically reduce deterrence and make the enforcement of the Child Labor Laws more costly and difficult for the Attorney General. Proving that a violation is 'willful' puts an enormous burden on the Attorney General's enforcement efforts. With fines already low, the cost of proving a violation to be willful would be untenable. The proposed law would mean that if a teen worker operates a forklift and is killed, the employer could be fined no more than $100, unless the Attorney General could prove the employer knowingly disregarded the law.
The fines provided for under the CLL reforms allow for a maximum of $250 for a first offense, giving the Attorney General discretion to impose a reduced fine for minor violations. In fact the AG has rarely assessed the maximum penalty, except in the event of hazardous order or egregious hour violations. The penalties for violating the state's wage and hour laws are fifteen times the amount called for under HB1791, up to $7,500 for a first non-willful offense. Do we care less about our children than we do about adult workers?
Please don't compromise the safety of our children by watering down the state's Child Labor Laws. Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Your Name
Your Organization
123 Your St.
Yousville, YO 12345
Phone: (123)456-7890
Fax: (123)456-7890x123
p.s.
Your Personal Statement
--
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Report abuse to abuse@citizenspeak.org [1252]
