Florida senate committee approves easing child labor restrictions

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Child labor restrictions are one step closer to being eased in Florida.

Florida is among several states with the most stringent child labor laws in the country. Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds in Florida can’t work before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. when school is in session.

To change that, business and industry groups are supporting two proposals that would allow Florida teens to work longer.

“Those were some of the most formative things that I could’ve done that helped me truly become, I hope, the man I am today,” Sen. Danny Burgess, (R) Zephyrhills, said.

Sen. Burgess is proposing opening the window for 16- and 17-year-olds to be allowed to work, starting at 5:30 a.m. and ending at midnight. He said this would put Florida in line with seven other states, including Illinois.

Right now, 24 states follow the federal child labor standard, which has no restrictions on when 16- and 17-year-olds can work.

“This bill also recognizes the world has changed since I was born in 1986. That’s when I entered the world. And I think we live in a much different world now,” Sen. Burgess said.

A Senate committee approved the proposal Tuesday despite no one speaking in favor of this bill or a more similar bill in the House.

“This bill is really attempting to fill in a labor shortage,” Florida for All Policy Director Jackson Oberlink said.

Oberlink was one of the several people who spoke against the Senate bill Tuesday. He said he is worried kids will end up being overworked if this proposal becomes law.

“When your boss says you have to work until midnight on a school night or work more than 30 hours a week, it’s going to be hard to say no. We just think this bill is ripe for abuse,” Oberlink said.

Florida teens can file for a waiver with the state if they choose to work beyond the limitations under the current law.

The Senate proposal only changes the time when 16- and 17-year-olds are allowed to work and still has a couple more committees before it is up for a vote.

The House version gets rid of even more restrictions and is heading to the full House for a vote after several changes were made during committees this month.

Copyright 2024 WCTV. All rights reserved.