[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 49 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E559]]
    STATEMENT ON CHILD LABOR TO THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE 
                               WORKFORCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 4, 2001

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on March 28th, I submitted a statement to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce during hearings on H.R. 1, 
the ``No-Child-Left-Behind'' education proposal. The purpose of my 
testimony was to call attention to the negative effects that working 
long hours at after school jobs is having a serious negative impact on 
our nation's teens. Recent studies have shown that a correlation exists 
between working long hours after school and decreased academic 
performance as well as increased drug and alcohol use by teenagers.
  Mr. Speaker, the Young American Workers' Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 
961) which I introduced earlier this year sets sensible limits to the 
number of hours teenagers can work during times when school is in 
session. H.R. 961 would assist both families and teenagers' struggling 
with the competing interests of holding a job while gaining an 
education.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my statement with our colleagues 
in the House, and I request that my testimony to the Committee be 
placed in the Congressional Record.

Statement by Congressman Tom Lantos, The Committee on Education and the 
      Workforce, H.R. 1, ``No Child Left Behind,'' March 28, 2001

       Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member and distinguished members 
     of the Education and Workforce Committee, I appreciate the 
     opportunity to share my views with you today. As you begin to 
     consider the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
     Education Act (ESEA), I urge you to keep in mind the negative 
     effects that working long hours is having on our children's 
     education.
       Working during the school year has become much more 
     commonplace among America's youth over the past decades. 
     Currently, nearly 25 percent of 14-year-olds and 38 percent 
     of 15-year-olds have regular scheduled employment during the 
     school year (as opposed to casual baby-sitting or yard work). 
     A recent National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) 
     indicates that almost two-thirds of high school juniors are 
     employed during the school year and that these students work 
     an average of 18 hours per week. Another study, published by 
     the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 1999, reports that 
     the number of working teens has grown by 15 percent in the 
     past five years and that nearly seven million teens age 16-19 
     were employed in all sectors of the United States economy.
       Mr. Chairman, as you and your colleagues know, American 
     students continue to score at or below average on 
     international tests. The Third International Mathematics and 
     Science Study showed that American high school seniors on 
     average spend slightly more than three hours a day working at 
     a paid job--more than their counterparts in any of the other 
     20 nations studied. Some experts believe that such intense 
     work schedules might explain the poor showing of U.S. 
     students on international tests. In both math and science, 
     even America's best 12th graders scored well below the 
     international average.
       Laurence Steinberg, a professor of psychology at Temple 
     University recently conducted a three-year study (1987 to 
     1990) of 20,000 students at nine high schools in northern 
     California and in Wisconsin. He determined that a work-load 
     of more than 20 hours seems to mark the point at which work 
     is increasingly linked to a drop-off in the amount of time 
     students spend on homework an increase in their feelings of 
     detachment from school. His research is backed up by Wendy 
     Piscitelli, head of the foreign language department at 
     Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, PA. She states, 
     ``once they get up into 20 or 25 hours. . .they can't keep up 
     the extracurricular activities, and they don't get enough 
     sleep.'' These conclusions are shared by a teacher at the 
     Governor Livingston Regional High School in Berkeley Heights, 
     N.J., who discussed a problem she is having with one of her 
     students who regularly works past midnight at a local diner. 
     The student, a senior, has trouble making it to school on 
     time, and when confronted about falling asleep in class 
     responds, ``but I am making money, Mrs. Tonto.''
       These students, who are placing after-school employment 
     above their education aren't getting enough sleep at night 
     and are catching up during the day, in the classrooms. A 1999 
     National Sleep Foundation survey found that 60 percent of 
     children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during 
     the day, and 15 percent reported sleeping at school during 
     the past year. Mr. Chairman, I ask you, how can we expect our 
     children to learn when they are sleeping through the school 
     day? Another problem that arises when students are working 
     more than 20 hours a week is that they begin to cut corners 
     with their school work to accommodate their job. This 
     accommodation manifests itself in many ways, often in the 
     form of cheating, or taking a less challenging schedule.
       Moreover, a number of studies document that long work hours 
     are associated with all sorts of undesirable teenage 
     behavior. According to a recent study by the Centers for 
     Disease Control (CDC), working more than 11 hours a week has 
     a strong correlation with the likelihood that teenager will 
     smoke and drink. Working more than 26 hours per week has the 
     same correlation to use of marijuana or cocaine. An earlier 
     CDC study found that students who worked more than 11 hours a 
     week had significantly higher rates of sexually transmitted 
     diseases and unwanted pregnancies. There is also ample 
     evidence that when the number of work hours exceeds 15 hours 
     per week during the school year, academic pursuits suffer. On 
     average, grades go down and truancy increases. When work and 
     school obligations conflict, the great majority will give top 
     priority to their jobs.
       Mr. Chairman, studies have shown that the majority of 
     children and teenagers who hold jobs in the United States are 
     not working to support their families, but rather are 
     employed to earn extra spending money. I see nothing wrong 
     with minors working to earn extra spending money and I think 
     we all can agree that it is important for children to learn 
     the value of work. I do think, however, that it is a serious 
     problem when teenagers spend almost the same amount of time 
     working at an after school job as they spend in school. We 
     need to set sensible limits on the hours that minors are 
     permitted to work when school is in session so that our 
     children can focus on their primary job--earning a good 
     education.
       Mr. Chairman, under current Federal law, minors aged 14- 
     and 15-years-old may not work for more than three hours a day 
     and a maximum of 18 hours a week, when school is in session. 
     It is also unlawful for 14- and 15-year-olds to work before 7 
     a.m. and after 7 p.m. so that work will not interfere with 
     learning. Minors who are 16 and 17, however, face no federal 
     restrictions when it comes to the number of hours they can 
     work, and they often are required to work late into the 
     night.
       I recently introduced legislation, H.R. 961, the Young 
     American Workers Bill of Rights, which would set sensible 
     limits to the hours teenagers work in addition to their 
     academic schooling. Mr. Chairman, I urge the Committee to 
     consider including the provisions of this bill in your 
     reauthorization of the ESEA. My legislation would reduce the 
     hours 14- and 15-year-olds would be allowed to work while 
     school is in session, while also setting standards for the 
     number of hours that 16- and 17-year-olds can work while 
     school is in session. My legislation caps the hours of 14- 
     and 15-year-olds at fifteen hours per week. The hours for 16- 
     and 17-year-olds would be limited to 20 hours per week. When 
     one adds these hours onto the average amount of time a 
     teenager spends in school, the student is still putting in 
     close to 40 hours a week. This does not include time spent on 
     homework, extracurricular activities, or time spent just 
     being a teenager. I think we can agree that too many 
     teenagers are working long hours at the very time they should 
     be focusing on their education.
       Mr. Chairman, let me state unequivocally that I, and 
     supporters of my legislation, do not oppose children taking 
     on after school employment. We firmly believe that children 
     must be taught the value of work. They need to learn the 
     important lessons of responsibility, and they need to enjoy 
     the rewards of working. Furthermore, it is not our aim to 
     discourage employers from hiring young people. Rather, our 
     goal is to ensure that the employment opportunities available 
     to young people are meaningful, safe, healthy, and do not 
     interfere with their important academic responsibilities. A 
     solid education--not after-school employment--is the key to a 
     successful future.
       Mr. Chairman, as you and the rest of your committee began 
     to debate the reauthorization of the ESEA, I strongly urge 
     you to consider the sensible labor standards that my 
     legislation sets forth. These common-sense limits provide 
     American teenagers the ability to have both a valuable 
     academic instruction, while learning the value of work.

     

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