Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director — House Committee on Economic Competitiveness (June 4, 2026)
Summary
Written testimony dated Thursday, June 4, 2026, from Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director, Michigan League for Public Policy, to Chair Hoadley and members of the House Committee on Economic Competitiveness. The testimony opposes House Bill 5727 and says the bill would undo changes made to the Youth Employment Standards Act by Public Act 196 of 2024. It states that the bill would eliminate Michigan's youth work permit system and strip the ability of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) to revoke work authorization based on school performance. It cites research that states with work permit requirements see 17% fewer child labor violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and 43% fewer children involved in those violations. The testimony asks the committee to reject the bill.
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“Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director — House Committee on Economic Competitiveness (June 4, 2026).”
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Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
To: Chair Hoadley and members of the House Committee on Economic
Competitiveness
From: Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director, Michigan League for Public Policy
Subject: Opposition to House Bill 5727 — Weakening of Youth Employment Standards
Act
On behalf of the Michigan League for Public Policy, I thank Chair Hoadley and members of the
Committee on Economic Competitiveness for the opportunity to express our opposition to
House Bill 5727. Not only would the proposed legislation undo the positive changes to the Youth
Employment Standards Act (YESA) made by Public Act 196 of 2024, but it would go a step
further by weakening restrictions on dangerous work for children in direct violation of federal
law.
The League is a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization that promotes economic
opportunity for all and analyzes the impact of public policy on the lives of Michiganders who
have been systemically left out of prosperity. The League is also the state’s Kids Count
organization, working as part of a national effort to measure the well-being of children at the
state and local levels and to shape efforts that improve their lives.
HB 5727 puts child workers at risk by eliminating Michigan’s youth work permit system. State
systems for documenting youth employment through the issuance of work permits are effective
at ensuring young people can gain valuable work experience while preventing child labor
violations. Research has shown states with work permit requirements see 17% fewer child labor
violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and 43% fewer children involved in those
violations.1
A centralized system for work permits enables more effective enforcement of child labor law.
From 2020 to 2025, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO)
identified over 1,200 child labor violations and issued corrective action notices to these
1
Fred (Jiacong) Bao and Ashish Kabra, “State Mandated Employment Certificate for Minors Reduces
Child Labor Violations in the US,” June 7, 2024, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4857432.
Using data to educate, advocate and fight for policy solutions that undo historic and systemic racial and economic inequities to lift up
Michiganders who have been left out of prosperity.
101 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE • SUITE 820 • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933
P: 517.487.5436 • WWW.MLPP.ORG
employers during investigations into YESA complaints.2 Work permits also allow the department
to proactively inform employers of regulations. In this way, work permits are good for employers,
who want to follow the law, and for parents, who seek to be informed of their child’s rights in the
workplace.
HB 5727 replaces the systems that exist to provide work permits to children and authorization
to employers with a weaker age verification system. In addition, the bill would strip LEO’s ability
to revoke work authorization based on school performance, allowing a student under age 16 to
continue working even if the student is chronically absent, falling behind academically or
exhibiting disciplinary issues.
HB 5727 weakens regulations on the employment of children under age 16 in violation of
federal law. The proposed changes to work hours, late-night work, and hazardous work directly
violate the FLSA rules on child labor.3 These proposed discrepancies between state and federal
law – documented in Table 1 – create confusion for employers and put employers at risk of
federal enforcement, which can result in fines.
Table 1: Child labor rules for workers ages 14 and 15
Issue Federal law HB 5727
Work hours Minors are permitted to work up to Minors would be permitted to work
40 hours per week, 8 hours per day up to 48 hours a week and up to 10
when school is not in session. hours a day.
Night work Minors may work between 7 a.m. Minors would be permitted to work
and 7 p.m. when school is in until 9 p.m. during the school year.
session and between 7 a.m. and 9 Minors could also seek permission
p.m. during the summer. from LEO to work between
midnight and 5 a.m.
Hazardous work Minors may not use power-driven Minors would be permitted to use
mowers, cutters and trimmers. power-driven lawn mowers or
cutters.
The proposal to allow children under 16 to work with power-driven tools is alarming and
dangerous. Employers are justifiably prohibited from employing 14- and 15-year-old workers
from occupations known for high numbers of workplace fatalities and injuries. Although rates
have fallen over the years as workplace safety has improved, boys and young men ages 14-21 in
Michigan face the highest rate of work-related amputations of all age groups.4 Landscaping
work is inherently dangerous, and FLSA-covered employers who hire children to work in these
prohibited activities would be in violation of federal law.
2
Special data request through the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity.
3
“FLSA - Child Labor Rules,” U.S. Department of Labor, accessed May 29, 2026,
https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/cl/t14.asp.
4
James Hosner and Kenneth Rosenman, Work-Related Amputations Michigan 2018-2020 (Michigan
State University, Department of Medicine, 2022),
https://oem.msu.edu/images/annual_reports/Amputations/2018-2020_Amputations.pdf.
Using data to educate, advocate and fight for policy solutions that undo historic and systemic racial and economic inequities to lift up
Michiganders who have been left out of prosperity.
101 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE • SUITE 820 • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933
P: 517.487.5436 • WWW.MLPP.ORG
Furthermore, excessive work hours and late-night work can put youth mental and physical
health at risk. Research on teen workers has shown a relationship between reduced school
night sleep and increased odds of work-related injury.5 Teens need more sleep than adults due
to their ongoing cognitive development and physical growth, and limitations on work hours for
children under age 16 are designed with their healthy development in mind.
At its heart, HB 5727 seeks to undermine federal law – to the detriment of employers who want
clear guidance for hiring minor workers – and weaken LEO’s capacity to track minor
employment and enforce the law. We respectfully ask you to reject this dangerous legislation
and protect kids from exploitative child labor in the state.
5
Janessa M. Graves and Mary E. Miller, “Reduced Sleep Duration and History of Work-Related Injuries
among Washington State Adolescents with a History of Working,” American Journal of Industrial Medicine
58, no. 4 (April 2015): 464–71, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22416.
Using data to educate, advocate and fight for policy solutions that undo historic and systemic racial and economic inequities to lift up
Michiganders who have been left out of prosperity.
101 S. WASHINGTON SQUARE • SUITE 820 • LANSING, MICHIGAN 48933
P: 517.487.5436 • WWW.MLPP.ORG
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