A lawmaker who employs hundreds of minors at an Indiana ski resort is pushing to scrap all state child labor laws, which is raising questions about whether his role in such an effort is a conflict of interest.

Senate Bill 342 — filed by Republican state Sen. Chip Perfect, the CEO of Perfect North Slopes — would get rid of work permit requirements for minors and remove all restrictions on what hours 16- and 17-year-old Hoosiers can work.

While federal child labor laws offer greater protections for those under 16, they barely touch on work requirements for older teens, aside from wages.

Perfect, of Lawrenceburg, said the resort employs anywhere from 300 to 400 minors, and his human resources director testified in favor of the bill during a committee hearing last week.

Stephanie McFarland, spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor, said Perfect North had no violations during its most recent inspection, in 2018. However, child labor law changes would mean Perfect North and other companies could more easily hire minors and give them more hours.

A conflict of interest? Indiana laws are murky

Julia Vaughn, the policy director for political watchdog group Common Cause Indiana, said the lack of clarity in Indiana's laws makes it difficult to say whether Perfect's involvement in the bill is a conflict of interest.

"Given the fact that he employs a significant number of minors, his involvement in the issue would certainly trigger a second look and extra scrutiny," Vaughn said. "But it's difficult under the current Senate rules to figure out the extent of the financial impact on Senator Perfect, and therefore, we're kind of left in this vague area where it's not clear."

Indiana's Senate rules don't address whether a lawmaker can file a bill that would impact his or her business, but it does say a lawmaker should consider whether the bill would have a "unique, direct and material effect" before voting on a bill.

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Perfect, however, argued there is no conflict of interest in his case.

"It wouldn't affect me directly, because as I testified today, we have invested an incredible amount of money and we are currently adhering to the laws," Perfect said. "This is really more about small businesses who cannot afford the resources to adhere to these antiquated laws."

Sen. Liz Brown, the chair of the chamber's ethics committee, said the paneldoesn't review conflict of interest concerns on legislation unless a lawmaker or someone else requests one. She added that any lawmakers who do aren't publicly identified.

Indiana's child labor laws outdated, bill's backers say

Those advocating for the bill say the process of getting work permits approved by the school, employer and student is bureaucratic and outdated. They say it's also challenging for students who live out-of-state who are still required to get a permit from an in-state school district.

"It's an administrative burden on the school system, it's an administrative burden on the parents and the students, and it's an administrative burden on us, considering that (work permits) really serve no purpose," Matt Eckert, CEO of Holiday World, said during a committee hearing on the bill.

Advocates of the legislation also note federal law offers several protections for minors. For example, there's a minimum wage, rules that keep minors from dangerous jobs and limits on hours for workers younger than 16.

But opponents of the measure, such as the Indiana School Boards Association and Indiana State AFL-CIO, argue that completely removing Indiana's child labor laws isn't the answer to complaints over the work permits.

"We oppose this bill because we think it's doing away with some laws that are appropriate and still suitable to make sure students do not work excessive hours, late hours," said Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association. "There is a need for these laws. They're serving their purpose."

Here's what Indiana's child labor laws do

For example, Indiana doesn't allow16-year-old students to work past 10 p.m. or more than 30 hours per school week or 40 hours per non-school week, unless they have parental permission. Employers are also required to give minors 30-minute breaks for every six hours they work.

Employers such as Perfect North, which is open until midnight on weekends, would no longer face such limits if Perfect's bill becomes law.

In fiscal year 2018, 72 percent of inspections of state businesses resulted in child labor violations and $1,468,375 worth of penalties, according to data from the Indiana Department of Labor. The most common violation was allowing minors to work over six hours without a break.

"All of these Indiana-specific laws were passed for a reason," said Rob Henderson, executive director of Indiana State AFL-CIO. "Just undoing them, ... I don’t understand the intent, other than just trying to be able to work minors more hours."

Call IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.