Sponsors pitch 'Clock Out Kids Act' to beef up enforcement and penalties for minor-labor violations
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Summary
Sponsors introduced House Bill 150, the 'Clock Out Kids Act,' proposing larger fines, funding for wage investigators and mandatory school reporting to strengthen enforcement of Ohio minor-labor laws and reduce exploitation of children in the workforce.
Representative McNally and joint sponsor Representative White presented sponsor testimony for House Bill 150, the 'Clock Out Kids Act,' calling for stepped-up enforcement and increased penalties for employers who violate minor-labor protections.
McNally said child-labor violations are rising and enforcement at the state and federal level has lagged; the bill would allow the Ohio Department of Commerce's Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration to hire staff to perform audits, increase fines with an additional $50,000 penalty for knowing violations, and appropriate $150,000 to investigate complaints. "The exploitation of children should never be tolerated," McNally said, urging the committee to invest in enforcement capacity.
Representative White, joint sponsor, said the bill aims to preserve childhood and learning over turning children into a stopgap labor source. The sponsors cited Department of Labor findings of increased violations and high-penalty cases as justification for a stronger state response and noted partnerships with schools and educators to identify possible violations.
Committee members asked questions about whether fines and fees could fund enforcement staff over time and discussed the practicalities of creating a self-sustaining enforcement fund. Sponsors told the committee the initial appropriation would ramp up the fund and that fines could sustain operations once the fund was established.
What happens next: The committee scheduled a follow-up hearing to explore funding mechanisms and other specifics; sponsors said they plan additional work to refine enforcement and reporting provisions.
