The text of the Child Labor Amendment reads as follows:
Section 1. The Congress shall have the power to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age.
Section 2. The power of the several States is unimpaired by this article except that the operation of State laws shall be suspended to the extent necessary to give effect to legislation enacted by the Congress.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. THE CONSTITUTION of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Centennial Edition. Washington D.C., U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 2013, pp. 76, https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CONAN-2013/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2013.pdf. Accessed 21 March 2024.
This amendment would explicitly clarify the federal government’s power to regulate the labor of anyone under the age of 18. It would stop any possibility of the Supreme Court ruling a federal child labor law unconstitutional and therefore protect child workers.