# Nebraska joins four states easing child labor protections  
**Published:** 2026-06-23T10:00:35.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/23/repub/nebraska-among-states-that-have-eased-child-labor-laws-ahead-of-summer-hiring-season/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-joins-four-states-easing-child-labor-protections

Four states, including Nebraska, enacted laws this year that weaken child labor protections ahead of the summer hiring season, according to a report from the [Economic Policy Institute](https://www.epi.org/blog/state-lawmakers-continued-to-weaken-child-labor-protections-in-2026-efforts-to-strengthen-protections-have-stalled/). In total, at least 13 states introduced bills seeking to weaken protections, though some remain under consideration.

Nebraska's change establishes a lower minimum wage for 14- and 15-year-olds. Under [legislation passed earlier this year](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/05/legislature-passes-law-capping-annual-minimum-wage-bumps-creating-youth-wage-below-15-until-2065/), the state created a youth minimum wage of $13.50 per hour for workers in that age group, down from the standard $15 minimum wage that took effect in January. The youth wage increases by 1.5% every five years beginning in 2030.

West Virginia made changes allowing teens to work longer hours in youth apprenticeships and relaxed rules related to hazardous work assignments. Under a new Indiana law, the state's Department of Labor will no longer maintain an employer database for youth employment, meaning employers are not required to report they employ workers younger than 18. Washington state doubled the daily work limit for teens in approved work-based learning programs from four hours to eight hours daily, increasing weekly limits from 20 to 48 hours.

The Economic Policy Institute identified four troubling trends in state-level rollbacks: lowering minimum wages for teen workers; making changes to youth apprenticeships; eliminating youth permits; and weakening safeguards for teen child care workers. Pending rollback attempts remain in Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Florida, Massachusetts and Missouri proposed lowering youth wages but did not pass those bills.

Oregon took the opposite approach, enacting a law that stipulates state rules on the total hours a minor can work cannot be less restrictive than federal Fair Labor Standards Act rules in effect on January 1. That was the only state to strengthen child labor protections this year, according to the report.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/23/repub/nebraska-among-states-that-have-eased-child-labor-laws-ahead-of-summer-hiring-season/)
- [Economic Policy Institute analysis of state child labor legislation for 2026](https://www.epi.org/blog/state-lawmakers-continued-to-weaken-child-labor-protections-in-2026-efforts-to-strengthen-protections-have-stalled/)
- [Nebraska Examiner reporting on LB 258 establishing youth wage provisions](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/05/legislature-passes-law-capping-annual-minimum-wage-bumps-creating-youth-wage-below-15-until-2065/)
- [Original Stateline article on states easing child labor laws](https://stateline.org/2026/06/22/states-ease-child-labor-laws-ahead-of-summer-hiring-season/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/23/repub/nebraska-among-states-that-have-eased-child-labor-laws-ahead-of-summer-hiring-season/.