Pennsylvania Child Labor Laws May Face Overhaul
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- The Pennsylvania House has passed and sent a bill to the Senate that would overhaul Pennsylvania's child labor laws with regard to film and video production.
The sponsor of the bill, Philadelphia and Montgomery County Republican Thomas Murt, says film and video production in the state is exploding.
"Unfortunately, our state's child labor laws regulating entertainment were written when Milton Berle and Lucille Ball were the king and queen of television, years before color television, HBO, and reality TV. No one is as confused by our nebulous child labor laws as the members of the Motion Picture Association of America," Murt says.
Murt also says he got the idea for the overhaul from watching a TV talk show about child stars and that during hearings, the reality show "Jon and Kate Plus 8"—which is shot in Pennsylvania—became a high profile example of some of the problems. Murt's bill would, among other things, regulate the hours children can work on productions and safeguard their earnings.
Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio
