Republicans across the country continue to demonstrate a disturbing disconnection from issues affecting women and children.

On the heels of a drive to repeal equal pay legislation, an attempt to re-label victims of rape as “accusers,” and attacks on schools and education, a GOP state Senator in Missouri is trying to repeal child labor laws.

Republican Sen. Jane Cunningham has introduced Senate Bill 222, which would repeal certain provisions of child labor statutes. Quoting from the bill summary, 

• This act modifies the child labor laws.
• It eliminates the prohibition on employment of children under age fourteen.
• Restrictions on the number of hours and restrictions on when a child may work during the day are also removed.
• It also repeals the requirement that a child ages fourteen or fifteen obtain a work certificate or work permit in order to be employed.
• Children under sixteen will also be allowed to work in any capacity in a motel, resort or hotel where sleeping accommodations are furnished.
• It also removes the authority of the director of the Division of Labor Standards to inspect employers who employ children and to require them to keep certain records for children they employ.
• It also repeals the presumption that the presence of a child in a workplace is evidence of employment.

If Sen. Cunningham has her way, 13-year-olds will have to stop freeloading off of their parents and go get themselves jobs. Teenagers of all ages would get to flip burgers or work the drive-through window all night—what good are morning classes, anyway? Under her bill, a 12- or-13-year-old could be sent to work full time, perhaps under the pretense of receiving a home-school education.

And the idea of children younger than 16 working unrestricted hours “in any capacity” in a hotel should in itself raise concerns about this Dickensian legislation.

Childhood? Who needs it? Perhaps Sen. Cunningham regrets her years of wasted earning potential.