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S 521

Municipal Court Judges retirement

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Billy Garrett

Massachusetts would back ratification of the 1924 Child Labor Amendment to give Congress power to regulate, limit, or prohibit under-18 labor nationwide.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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Bill Summary · S 521

Summary — S.521 (Resolve to support ratification of Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment)

Status: Introduced (MA Senate No. 521, filed 1/16/2025); referred to committees (see Procedural Notes)
Primary purpose: To have the Massachusetts General Court endorse and move toward ratification of a proposed Federal Child Labor Constitutional Amendment originally forwarded to the states in 1924.

Purpose and intent

The resolve seeks to instruct the Commonwealth to support ratification of the 1924 Child Labor Amendment (CLA), which would give Congress explicit constitutional authority to regulate, limit, or prohibit the labor of persons under 18. The sponsors frame this as a response to contemporary concerns about unsafe or unlawful child labor and as a belief that a constitutional amendment would provide stronger, more uniform protections than statute alone.

Key provisions / text

  • The bill reproduces the text of the 1924 proposed amendment:

    • Section 1: "The Congress shall have the power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age."
    • Section 2: "The power of the several States is unimpaired by this article except that the operation of State laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation enacted by the Congress."

  • The resolve cites Coleman v. Miller (307 U.S. 433), noting the proposed amendment has no ratification time limit and therefore remains before the states for action.

  • It requests that the Secretary of the Commonwealth provide public voter information about the issue (authorizes public education/outreach).

Who would be affected

  • Children and youth under 18 (subject to any new national limits on work).
  • Employers and industries that hire minors (would face potential federal restrictions/preemption of state laws).
  • State governments (would retain some powers but could be preempted to the extent Congress enacts implementing legislation).
  • Massachusetts voters and officials, to the extent the Commonwealth takes formal ratification action or conducts educational outreach.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Constitutional amendments become effective when three-fourths of states ratify (currently 38 states required). The bill text states 28 states have ratified and that 10 additional ratifications would complete adoption (this is the figure asserted in the resolve; readers should verify current ratification counts).
  • The resolve itself is a state legislative instrument expressing support and, if passed as a ratification resolution, could constitute Massachusetts’ formal ratification. Implementation at the national level requires the requisite number of state ratifications.
  • The resolve references legal precedent (Coleman v. Miller) establishing that an amendment without a time limit remains pending.

Important caveats / metadata inconsistencies

  • The submitted metadata includes conflicting jurisdictional details and committee referrals (references to New York City Education, sponsors from other states, and related federal/other-state bills). The bill text included here is a Massachusetts Senate resolve. Interested readers should consult the official Massachusetts legislative website (or the relevant state legislative clerk) for authoritative status, current committee actions, and the accurate sponsor list.

Impact overview

If ultimately ratified by the necessary number of states, the amendment would authorize Congress to create uniform, constitutionally grounded federal regulation of child labor across the U.S., potentially overriding disparate state rules and strengthening federal enforcement options.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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