House Joint Resolution No. 217 is a resolution from the Connecticut General Assembly that seeks to ratify a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would grant Congress the authority to regulate child labor. The amendment in question was originally proposed by the 68th Congress in 1924 through House Joint Resolution 184, which did not set a ratification deadline. The amendment would allow Congress to limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of individuals under eighteen years of age, while also stating that state powers would not be impaired except to the extent necessary to enact federal legislation on the matter.
The resolution acknowledges that Connecticut's General Assembly had previously rejected the ratification of House Joint Resolution 184 in 1925 but now wishes to correct that decision. The resolution has no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities and, if passed, would require the Governor of Connecticut to send certified copies of the resolution to the President of the United States, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Connecticut's congressional delegation. To date, 28 states have ratified the amendment, and it requires ratification by 38 states in total to be adopted into the U.S. Constitution. The resolution was reported favorably by the Committee on Government Administration and Elections and is effective upon passage.