SF 381 Iowa Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

A bill for an act relating to youth employment and providing penalties.

SF 381 restricts youth employment in Iowa for individuals under 18. It prohibits work for those under 14 entirely, limits under-16s to specific non-hazardous jobs (like retail, food service, or office work) during non-school hours, and bans dangerous occupations such as logging, meatpacking, operating heavy machinery, or working with explosives for all minors. The bill also sets strict work hour limits: no work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (extended to 9 p.m. June 1-Labor Day), max 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, and requires 30-minute breaks for 5+ hour shifts. These provisions directly affect employers hiring minors and aim to protect young workers from hazardous conditions and excessive hours.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 19, 2025 Last action Feb 24, 2025
Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Subcommittee: Driscoll, Donahue, and Taylor.
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, referred to Workforce.
upper
12 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors