Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S521 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1294 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 521
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jason M. Lewis, (BY REQUEST)
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying
12	12	resolve:
13	13	Resolve support ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Vincent Dixon60 Lake St Apt N Winchester MA 01890 1 of 2
17	17	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1294 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
18	18	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 521
19	19	By Mr. Lewis (by request), a petition (accompanied by resolve, Senate, No. 521) of Vincent
20	20	Dixon, for legislation to support ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.
21	21	Election Laws.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
25	25	(2025-2026)
26	26	_______________
27	27	Resolve support ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment.
28	28	1 Resolved, SECTION I
29	29	2 The following text, is the proposed Amendment forwarded to the states, for potential
30	30	3Ratification, on June 2, 1924:
31	31	4 Section 1. The Congress shall have the power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of
32	32	5persons under eighteen years of age.
33	33	6 Section 2. The power of the several States is unimpaired by this article except that the
34	34	7operation of State laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation
35	35	8enacted by the Congress.
36	36	9 This Amendment, was the subject of a case: Coleman v. Miller (307 US 433), which
37	37	10confirmed without ambiguity, that since the proposed Amendment, had no indication of time
38	38	11limitation, that it is still under consideration. As recently, as 2024, the State of Connecticut,
39	39	12considered Ratification of this Amendment, not completing action, because of the end of their
40	40	13legislative session. 2 of 2
41	41	14 SECTION II
42	42	15 Recent years, have provided news coverage of many examples, where child labor has
43	43	16been used, potentially illegally, unsafely, and certainly not in a friendly way; Constitutional
44	44	17Protections, are thought by many, to be more potentially effective, than statutes; and this issue
45	45	18should be further considered.
46	46	19 SECTION III
47	47	20 Massachusetts, in an odd circumstance, voted by ballot, state-wide, in 1924, to refuse
48	48	21Ratification of this Amendment. – However, given a newer public climate, that tends to support
49	49	22the rights of children, more vigorously, it could be that Massachusetts, could, by vote of The
50	50	23General Court, Ratify this Child Labor Amendment (CLA).
51	51	24 Since 2018, numerous states, have at least considered additional action. At this point, 28
52	52	25states having Ratified this Amendment, only ten additional states, would be needed to complete
53	53	26Ratification of this Amendment.
54	54	27 SECTION IV
55	55	28 Public education, is authorized, by The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and most
56	56	29specifically, within the role of The Secretary of the Commonwealth, to provide important voter
57	57	30information.