Labrador Bill Extends AG Exemption to Young Loggers in Family Operations

Press Release

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, has introduced the Future Logging Careers Act, a bill that would help family-owned timber harvesters train the next generation in one of Idaho's most important natural resource industries.

Introduced Tuesday, H.R. 1215, would extend an exemption already applied to agriculture and allow 16- and 17-year-old children to work for their parents in the woods.

"Like farming and ranching, timber harvesting is often a family business where the practice of felling and transporting timber from the forest to the mill is passed from generation to generation," Labrador said. "It's only fair that the exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act for agriculture be applied to the timber industry."

The stories of two Idaho timber families prompted Labrador to introduce the same bill last year. Labrador met with Tim Christopherson of Kamiah and Mark Mahon of Council in April 2014.

Christopherson, the third generation of the family-owned DABCO Inc., began workingbefore he turned 18, thinking theag exemption applied to logging. "If I hadn't been able to work in the woods when I was young, I wouldn't have chosen this career," said Christopherson, whose company employs 18 workers.

Two years ago, Mahon's son, J.T., was working for his dad when a U.S. Forest Service employee sent him home because of the lack of an exemption. Third-generation Tom Mahon Logging employs 12 people in Adams County, where unemployment reached 16 percent during the Great Recession.

"There are easier ways to make a living, but for us it's a labor of love," Mark Mahon said. "It's who we are -- loggers."

The Future Logging Careers Act is endorsed by the American Loggers Council, which represents harvesters in 30 states, including Idaho.

"We strive to operate safely and want to be able to pass along this generation's skills in professional harvesting to our next generation," said Shawn Keough, executive director of the Associated Logging Contractors of Idaho. "This bill will allow us to train those who wish to follow in their family's proud tradition. We applaud Congressman Labrador for his leadership."

Rep. Labrador's bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work in mechanized logging operations under parental supervision. H.R. 1215 has nine original cosponsors from eight states, including Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. Idaho GOP Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo plan to introduce a companion bill in the Senate soon.

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