Iowa state senate votes to allow children to work longer hours and serve alcohol

In a move meant to combat a labor shortage, children under age 16 can now work six hours a day

In a pre-dawn session on Tuesday, the Iowa state senate voted to allow children to work longer hours and serve alcohol, the latest move by Republican-controlled statehouses to combat a labor shortage by loosening child labor laws.

The Iowa bill would expand the number of hours that children under 16 can work from four to six a day, allow minors to work in previously prohibited industries if they are part of a training program, and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol with a parent's permission.