SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1294        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jason M. Lewis, (BY REQUEST)

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolve:

Resolve Support Ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1294        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

_______________

Resolve Support Ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.

Resolved, SECTION I

The following text, is the proposed Amendment forwarded to the states, for potential Ratification, on June 2, 1924:

Section 1. The Congress shall have the power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age.

Section 2. The power of the several States is unimpaired by this article except that the operation of State laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation enacted by the Congress.

This Amendment, was the subject of a case: Coleman v. Miller (307 US 433), which confirmed without ambiguity, that since the proposed Amendment, had no indication of time limitation, that it is still under consideration. As recently, as 2024, the State of Connecticut, considered Ratification of this Amendment, not completing action, because of the end of their legislative session.

SECTION II

Recent years, have provided news coverage of many examples, where child labor has been used, potentially illegally, unsafely, and certainly not in a friendly way; Constitutional Protections, are thought by many, to be more potentially effective, than statutes; and this issue should be further considered.

SECTION III

Massachusetts, in an odd circumstance, voted by ballot, state-wide, in 1924, to refuse Ratification of this Amendment. – However, given a newer public climate, that tends to support the rights of children, more vigorously, it could be that Massachusetts, could, by vote of The General Court, Ratify this Child Labor Amendment (CLA).

Since 2018, numerous states, have at least considered additional action. At this point, 28 states having Ratified this Amendment, only ten additional states, would be needed to complete Ratification of this Amendment.

SECTION IV

Public education, is authorized, by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and most specifically, within the role of The Secretary of the Commonwealth, to provide important voter information.