Republican Iowa governor rolls back state’s child labor law protections

Change in law allows teenagers to serve alcohol in restaurants and could allow children to operate heavy machinery like power saws

Iowa’s Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, has signed a bill that rolls back several child labor law protections in the midwestern state, including how many hours children can work and at what type of establishments.

Iowa and several other states in the US have loosened regulations on child labor in response to some businesses complaining about a workforce shortage. The moves have been met with widespread criticism by Democrats and labor groups.