The Iowa congressional delegation is protesting the U.S. Department of Labor’s crackdown on Iowa businesses that are following a new Iowa state law, allowing 14 and 15 year olds to work later hours than permitted under federal regulations.
The Iowa Restaurant Association has said some restaurant owners have been assessed fines as high as $180,000 for allowing younger teens to work as late as 9 p.m. on school nights and until 11 p.m. during the summer. That’s in contravention of the longstanding federal requirement that school-year work hours end by 7 p.m. and summer hours by 9 p.m. The Iowa Legislature approved the change in the law in 2023 .
“We ask the U.S. Department of Labor to assess their own regulations to determine whether they are aligned with our modern work world, support our young workers, meet employers’ needs and sustain a strong American economy,” said the letter, prepared by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s office and signed by her and the other five members of Iowa’s congressional delegation, all Republicans.