Finance committee OKs eliminating child work permits

MADISON, Wis. — The Legislature’s finance committee has approved a bill that would eliminate work permits for 16- and 17-year-olds.

The Republican-controlled panel voted 12-4 along party lines Monday to approve the bill, clearing the way for votes in the full Assembly and Senate.

Wisconsin law currently requires minors to get work permits. A child must pay $10 and get a parent’s written consent to obtain a permit.

Democrats on the finance committee warned the bill would remove protections for children. Republicans countered that many children don’t have a parent available to give consent and the bill removes a barrier to employment.

A Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis found eliminating permits for 16- and 17-year-olds would cost the state and local governments a total of $730,000 in lost revenue annually.

COPYRIGHT 2023 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.