Bill Overview
Title: Teenagers Earning Everyday Necessary Skills Act
Description: This bill expands the permissible working hours for employees between the ages of 14 and 16. Specifically, when school is in session such employees may not work later than 9:00 p.m. or more than 24 hours per week.
Sponsors: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
Target Audience
Population: Teenage employees between the ages of 14 and 16
Estimated Size: 1000000
- The bill specifically targets employees between the ages of 14 and 16.
- According to the United Nations, there are approximately 1.2 billion adolescents (ages 10-19) globally, and approximately one-third of them could fall into this 14 to 16 age range, leading to an estimate of around 400 million globally in this age range.
- Many countries have similar labor laws regarding the employment of teenagers, but not all allow work for 14 to 16 year-olds.
- Considering global workforce participation and policies, it's reasonable to assume about 5% of these teenagers would be engaged in some form of employment that would be directly impacted by this bill.
- Therefore, the potential global target affected by this bill could be around 20 million teenagers.
Reasoning
- The TEENS Act predominantly impacts teenagers aged 14-16 who are working part-time jobs during the school year.
- The policy may influence not just the teenagers but their families, as work hours may affect leisure time, study time, and family dynamics.
- Budget constraints suggest a limited direct financial impact; however, the expansion of work hours could indirectly aid families needing extra income.
- Given the US estimate of 1 million teenagers potentially affected, the policy might only significantly impact those currently restrained by existing working hour limitations.
Simulated Interviews
High School Student (New York, NY)
Age: 15 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I like having a job because it helps me save for college.
- Working more hours would be good. I feel more responsible and it helps my family a bit.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
High School Student (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 16 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm concerned more work could interfere with soccer practice.
- I enjoy working, but my priorities are school and sports.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Middle School Student (Chicago, IL)
Age: 14 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 0.5 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I like babysitting, it's fun! But I don't want it to interfere with my bedtime.
- More hours would be ok on weekends, but probably not during school days.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
High School Student (Houston, TX)
Age: 15 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I prefer working more hours so I can save more money.
- Balancing work and school is hard, but I think I can manage with more hours.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
High School Student (Miami, FL)
Age: 15 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Extra work hours are tempting but I worry it might affect my tutoring schedule.
- I'd like to help more with family expenses.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
High School Student (Seattle, WA)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 1.5 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I like my balance of volunteering and working.
- More hours at the bookstore would be okay, but I don't want to give up volunteering.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Middle School Student (Denver, CO)
Age: 14 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The extra hours wouldn't work for me because of safety reasons.
- I like walking dogs, but school is more important.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
High School Student (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 15 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 1.5 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Working on the farm more would be great, but not during the week.
- I'm worried about balancing work with taking care of my siblings.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Middle School Student (Boston, MA)
Age: 14 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I have enough time for school and work now.
- Extra hours would interfere with school and I'm not interested in working more.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
High School Student (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.5 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I set my work hours around school and theater activities.
- I would prefer not to increase my work hours now.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $10000000 (Low: $5000000, High: $15000000)
Year 2: $10500000 (Low: $5000000, High: $15000000)
Year 3: $11025000 (Low: $5500000, High: $15500000)
Year 5: $12076250 (Low: $6000000, High: $16500000)
Year 10: $15000000 (Low: $7500000, High: $20000000)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The bill impacts approximately 1 million teenagers in the U.S. who are between 14 and 16 years old and currently work part-time.
- Modifications to labor laws require close monitoring to ensure compliance and to identify any potential adverse effects on teenage education and well-being.
- The enforcement and administration of the new rules could require additional resources from the Department of Labor.