Lawmakers target child labor laws to ease worker shortage

Legislators in multiple states are invoking a widespread labor shortage to push bills that would weaken long-standing child labor laws.

Why it matters: Some bills go beyond expanding eligibility or working hours for run-of-the-mill teen jobs. They'd make it easier for kids to fill physically demanding roles at potentially hazardous work sites.

Protections could be stripped for youth most at risk of being exploited by employers, like migrant children and kids from families facing financial problems.

Driving the news: A new Arkansas law signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) last week makes it easier for...