The Legislature is putting Washington teenagers out of work | Opinion

Now more than ever, our young people need economic opportunities and the life lessons they offer. While we know not all jobs are meant to be careers, each one offers an important experience. Jobs provide our youth structure, accountability, social interactions and an escape from their online world.

The job of state lawmakers should be to foster an environment that enables employers to thrive and offer these opportunities. Unfortunately, policies from Olympia have pushed our state in the wrong direction.

House Bill 1644, passed during the 2025 legislative session, imposes even more requirements on businesses for employing minors. State lawmakers were warned in public testimony that this controversial legislation would have a chilling effect. And it is already happening.

The popular Lemon Heads program, which offers high school students opportunities to work on construction sites and earn a great wage, announced it is shutting down due to HB 1644. This will have a negative impact on students in the Spokane area.

Business owners in Walla Walla recently said they will be ending their commercial strawberry operations due to government regulations and rising operational costs. The employer, which has been in operation for 107 years, has offered young people their first job opportunities for decades.

In a floor speech, one of my colleagues, Rep. Mark Klicker, explained how this business had provided thousands of jobs for young workers, but that layers of new regulations over the years — including those in HB 1644 — threatened to end these opportunities. He was right.

Everyone agrees it is critical to protect young people, including those in the workplace. No one wants a minor to be exploited or hurt. We also want bad actors in business to be held accountable. But there are already laws and protections in place for our young workers.

The comparison of Washington’s prohibited duties for minors to federal prohibited duties shows how restrictive our state has become. Seventeen prohibited duties in our state are modeled after federal regulations, but we have an additional 10 prohibited duties for which there are no federal equivalents.

The bottom line: the Legislature has made it too hard for young people to gain employment in our state. However, we can fix the problems while still keeping young workers safe.

State lawmakers also need to do more to light the path of careers for our young men and women. Fortunately, we have made some progress. I sponsored two bills that were signed into law this year that remove government-imposed barriers that have kept high school students from entering the workforce.

House Bill 1414 expands our state’s Career and Technical Education Task Force to identify agency rules that prevent students from receiving training, certification, or employment in their chosen fields. As a mom of two Tri-Tech students, I have seen firsthand the power of CTE programs.

Another measure, House Bill 1722, requires agencies to revise outdated restrictions that block 16- and 17-year-olds from working and testing in areas like health care, firefighting, and emergency services.

These reforms will help thousands of students across our state to put their training to use and pursue careers. I will continue to work in this space to help reduce barriers, so youth in Washington have the same opportunities to work and be successful as the generations before them.

While these are two steps forward for our business environment, our state has taken too many steps back over the years. The problems are compounding.

In CNBC’s 2025 America’s Top States for Business report, Washington ranked 48 in cost of doing business and #41 for business friendliness. This is unacceptable.

Employers are responding to these conditions. According to a Spring 2025 Washington Employers Survey from the Association of Washington Business, 12% of businesses said they want to relocate out of state. And this was just before majority party Democrats and Gov. Bob Ferguson passed the largest tax increase in state history, including new and increased taxes that will hurt businesses.

In closing, I don’t have to tell you how expensive life is right now. We face some of the highest costs in the nation for gas, groceries, housing, and everyday activities. When kids have more money in their pockets, it helps with family finances. It might help with a sports team, a car insurance bill, or saving for post-high school plans. Today, every little bit helps.

Let’s empower our young people, support our employers, and ease financial pressures on families. Policies coming out of Olympia must support these goals, not be obstacles to them.

Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick, represents the 8th Legislative District and is the House Republican floor leader.

This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM.