SKIRTING CHILD LABOR LAWS at CBS:

But even more important was the state housing the town.

New Mexico has long been considered to have some of the most lenient labor rules governing kids on entertainment productions. Two years ago, TNT ran afoul of Native American groups after extras claimed adults and kids were overworked and mistreated on “Into the West.”

On July 1, New Mexico passed legislation closing a federal loophole that had exempted television and theatrical productions from child labor law restrictions.

“We didn’t have anything in our statutes that said they can’t work a child 10 hours a day, so we had hoped that [productions] would operate in the best interests and do what’s best for the children,” said Tiffany Starr-Salcido, who specializes in child workplace rights at the New Mexico Department of Labor.

Today New Mexico (like California, New York and most states) has strict limits on the number of hours children can work on a production (18 hours during a school week, and no shooting after 7 p.m.). Many popular filmmaking states also require the presence of studio teachers and a parent or guardian, as well as regular meals.

The New Mexico labor law changes weren’t prompted by “Nation,” but they likely will prevent a second season from shooting there.

On “Nation,” kids were on camera from dawn till dusk, and then some.

“We would wake up the kids at 7 a.m. and were shooting them until sometimes midnight,” said a member of the production crew.

Kids were on the show for seven days a week, for up to 40 days, and were responsible for cooking their own meals. Though there were no teachers or parents (aside from a few at the start of the shoot), an array of physicians and an emergency medical technician were available at all times.

In addition to shooting in a state that didn’t govern child labor on TV shows, the producers legally characterized the show in a unique way to avoid complaints that kids were overworked.

If Wal-Mart did something like this it would be a national scandal . . . . (Via Ann Althouse).

UPDATE: Hey — you can work for CBS for no pay! Wow, what a deal! Maybe this kind of thing explains Daniel Brook’s unhappiness . . . .