E-Newsletter: Creating Jobs and Opportunity in Idaho

Press Release

Dear friends,

I recently introduced a new, common-sense bill to improve Idaho's economy. It's called the Future Logging Careers Act, and it would bolster one of Idaho's most important industries by allowing young people to learn the trade of logging at a younger age.

Like farming and ranching, timber harvesting is often a family-run business where the practice of harvesting and transporting forest products from the forest to the mills is passed down from generation to generation. However, young men and women in families who own and operate timber harvesting companies are denied the opportunity to work and learn the family trade until they reach adulthood.

While most industries, including the agriculture industry, enjoy regulatory exemptions that allow family members between the ages of 16 and 17 to work under their parents' supervision, the logging industry doesn't have that same right. The end result is that we are penalizing young people who want to enter the logging industry and make it a career.

My bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 so that 16 and 17 year olds can work in mechanized logging operations under parental supervision. By lowering the age that young adults can operate safe and modern machinery, we can revitalize one of Idaho's key industries and bring much-needed resources into the marketplace.

Over forty organizations are supporting my bill. They include American Loggers Council, National Alliance of Forest Owners, Forest Resources Association, and Caterpillar Forest Products. A full list can be found here.

This week, Senators Risch and Crapo introduced the Senate version of my bill. It's called the Youth Careers in Logging Act. With legislation introduced in both Houses of Congress, our proposal stands a much better chance of becoming law. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I will certainly do all I can to make that happen.

The time has come to put our people and our land back to work. The bill that I've introduced will help us do that. With support growing across the political spectrum, I'm confident that we will succeed.

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