Republicans "Yea"; Democrats "No"

From Eric Dondero:

It was a virtual party-line vote in the Maine House 78 to 69, on a bill to allow Teenagers to work. The bill has already cleared the Senate.

The legislation would allow those over 16 to choose to work longer hours and gain bigger paychecks.

From the Bangor Daily News, May 18:

“It is time we left these decisions up to the moms and dads and these kids who are trying to improve their situation,” said Rep. David Burns, R-Whiting.

“Some of us on the committee believe that working teens and their parents are in the best position to decide how often they should work, just as they do for sports, TV viewing, etc. … ,” said Rep. Kerri Prescott, R-Topsham. (photo)

Democrats like Rep. Alan Casavant, a social sciences teacher in Biddeford argued that kids need to stay in school and not gain valuable experience or gain a good work ethic.

“In my view, as an active teacher, to go backward and allow more work is just going to create an even bigger problem,” Casavant said.

The bill is supported by the Maine Restaurant Assoc. and the Maine Innkeepers. Republican Governor Paul LePage, who supported it all along, will now sign it into law.