The legislation, House Bill 1644, comes as some other states, mostly Republican-led ones, have rolled back labor protections for young workers. The bill would set minimum penalties for youth labor violations, prohibit companies with multiple serious safety violations from hiring minors and require inspections before authorizing certain minor work permits.
This story is part of Cascade PBS’s WA Workplace Watch, an investigative project covering worker safety and labor in Washington state.
According to data from the state Department of Labor & Industries, workers’ compensation injury claims from minors jumped 60% between 2009 and 2023. In that same time period, employment among 16-19-year-olds grew 38%, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Last year about a third of all Washington residents in that age group held jobs.
“We know that minors are more likely to get hurt due to their lack of experience,” Rep. Mary Fosse, D-Everett, a prime sponsor of the bill, said when she introduced it in the House’s Labor & Workplace Standards Committee last week. “These kids are also – unfortunately – more likely to be taken advantage of due to that lack of experience.”
During a public hearing, a representative of construction companies and contractors criticized the proposal to set minimum penalty levels into law, arguing the changes would prevent L&I from imposing more flexible fines.
The Washington State Labor Council and the Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council have lobbied for tougher labor regulations for minors after a 16-year-old lost both legs working on a construction site through a work-for-credit school program in 2023. A Cascade PBS investigation found that public officials and the company, Rotschy Inc., had disregarded safety rules leading up to the teenager’s lifelong injuries.
Fosse’s legislation would target safety lapses in school work-for-credit programs by banning companies with three or more serious, repeat or willful safety violations or youth labor citations from hiring minors. The bill also requires more oversight from L&I when issuing student learner variances, which allow companies to assign teen workers otherwise prohibited tasks under close supervision.
If passed, HB 1644 would enshrine into statute minimum penalties for violating youth labor laws, ranging from $300 for each time a company works teens too many hours or during school hours, up to $71,000 for any violation resulting in the serious injury or death of a minor. Amounts could increase with subsequent violations. The cap on fines – currently set at $1,000 – for breaking youth labor laws would also be eliminated.
Fosse said fines are currently too low to stop bad actors. “There should be a penalty that is in line with the seriousness of the offenses. And if you are a repeat violator, then it should be enough to be a deterrent,” Fosse told Cascade PBS in an interview.
Currently, fine amounts for youth labor violations depend on the size of the company and the seriousness of the violations.
Brandon Houskeeper, representing contractors and construction companies, said the bill removes important discretion for L&I to negotiate fines with the employers.
“We believe that more rigid penalties will have a chilling effect on employers’ engagement with youth employment,” Houskeeper said during a Feb. 4 hearing.
A variety of labor unions and building trades voiced support for the bill, which they said provides the necessary oversight to keep minors safe on the worksite. Sarah Tucker, a spokesperson for the Washington State Labor Council, said the proposed bill is a top priority for the group.
“Granting minors the ability to gain work experience is important, but we must remember that the people being addressed in this bill are still children,” said Diana Winther, general counsel for IBEW Local 48. “We, as a society, have decided that they do not have the capacity to think and act like adults.”
During his testimony, Mike Bridges, president of the Longview/Kelso Building & Construction Trades Council, reflected on his early days learning the industry and how to operate safely in the hazardous environment.
“I wasn’t reckless or careless. I just didn’t know any better how to be safe in a new environment,” Bridges said. “It isn’t instinctual, even for adults, it must be taught, and we owe children extra protection as they learn to be working members of society.”
