Garcia Wilburn stands up for child workers, votes no on House Bill 1093
Rep. Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) today (Jan. 29) voted no on House Bill 1093, a bill that would roll back vital child labor protections in Indiana.
As written, HB 1093 would remove protections for 16- and 17-year-old minors from working in hazardous farm labor conditions. It would also expand the hours that minors are able to work, including later into the evening on school nights.
Garcia Wilburn offered two amendments on the House floor on Jan. 25 to remove both of these provisions from the bill, but they were rejected.
Garcia Wilburn released the following statement upon the passage of HB 1093:
“My mother was forced to start working on a farm when she was 14. We know that more U.S. child workers die in agriculture than in any other industry. This bill allows children working in the agriculture sector to operate heavy dangerous machinery that is prohibited for children in other sectors. I am deeply concerned about the impact it will have on marginalized and impoverished children before they can fully discern real danger and consequences. Kids should not be put in work environments where their lives are threatened or they are at risk of being seriously injured for life.
“In committee, we heard a lot of best-case scenarios from people who chose to and enjoyed working at a young age. I understand their point of view, as holding a job as a teen can be a great opportunity to learn the real value of a dollar. Thousands of Hoosier kids already do under Indiana’s current protections. However, we did not hear from people who had other experiences – like adults who were forced to work long hours as children instead of receiving an education. When writing legislation, we need to consider who could be impacted poorly by our decisions: children who are manipulated or mentally abused by parents or custodians to be an extra source of income at the expense of that child’s education. Children should also be given the opportunity to have day-to-day freedom and the ability to be a child. This is about putting our kids' health, education and wellbeing before company profits. This is about being a voice for the powerless.
“I set out this legislative session with a goal of increasing workplace protections, from protecting project labor agreements on public works projects to increasing Indiana's minimum wage to $15 an hour. At a time when child labor law violations are increasing exponentially nationwide, these critical protections are not something on which we can afford to go backward. I will continue standing up for child welfare this legislative session and beyond.”
After today's passage out of the House of Representatives, HB 1093 is now headed to the Senate for consideration.