The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry is defending its decision to issue work permits to Kate Gosselin's sextuplets for the TLC reality show "Kate Plus 8."
State Rep. Thomas P. Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia) has asked Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett to examine the special permits issued for the sextuplets, who are 6 years old, to determine if the permits comply with Pennsylvania’s child labor law.
(Read about exploiting kids on TV: The Consequences of Children on Reality TV)
Murt noted Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Law authorizes the DLI to issue special permits "for the employment of minors between 7 and 18 years of age in theatrical productions, musical recitals or concerts, entertainment acts, modeling, radio, television, motion picture making, or in other similar forms or media." Special permits may be issued for the temporary employment of minors in a movie, but that provision does not specifically mention TV.
“As I read the law, permits for children under age 7 are available for performing in a movie, but permits are not available for children under age 7 to participate in a television show,” Murt said. “I have asked the attorney general to examine the law and clarify whether the permit process provides for such performances.”
Troy Thompson, a spokesman for the DLI, told TheWrap on Wednesday that the department "does stand behind the permits. We believe that they apply the legal protections necessary to protect the children from any form of manipulation or exploitation."
The permits allow the DLI acccess to all filming that goes on in Pennsylvania, he said, and mandates children's earnings be conserved for them.
"Reality is a new area," Thompson added, "but we have permits in place, and we ensured during our visit to the site that these children were not exploited."
Murt on Wednesday responded to the DLI's position: “While the genre of reality TV is new, the law is not. It is explicit. Children under 7 in Pennsylvania are not allowed on television for their own health and well-being. I still believe [DLI] must seek the advice from the Attorney General on this apparent inconsistency in the law and the work permits."
