Indianapolis Star: Lawmaker who employs youths and wants to gut child labor laws has no conflict, panel says

01.29.2019 / By Kaitlin Lange
Indianapolis Star: Lawmaker who employs youths and wants to gut child labor laws has no conflict, panel says

Julia Vaughn, the policy director for the political watchdog group Common Cause Indiana, has routinely criticized Indiana law on matters concerning lawmakers’ conflict of interest for its vagueness and because it allows individual lawmakers to determine their need for an ethics hearing. "Ultimately I think Sen. Perfect's constituents should be able to decide if this is outside the boundaries, or if it's not," she said, arguing transparency is the most important aspect of the process.

ndiana’s Senate Ethics committee ruled there was no conflict of interest regarding Republican Sen. Chip Perfect’s involvement in a bill that would gut state child labor laws, despite the fact he employs hundreds of minors at his business, Perfect North Slopes.

Senate Bill 342, which Perfect sponsors, would get rid of work permit requirements for minors and remove all restrictions on what hours 16- and 17-year-old Hoosiers can work. Other protections for minors would still be present under federal law. …

Julia Vaughn, the policy director for the political watchdog group Common Cause Indiana, has routinely criticized Indiana law on matters concerning lawmakers’ conflict of interest for its vagueness and because it allows individual lawmakers to determine their need for an ethics hearing.

“Ultimately I think Sen. Perfect’s constituents should be able to decide if this is outside the boundaries, or if it’s not,” she said, arguing transparency is the most important aspect of the process.

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