House Panel Backs Easing Teen Job Rules
A state labor law includes a series of restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds, including how many hours they can work, what times of day they can work and jobs they can perform.
December 14, 2023 at 12:10 PM
4 minute read
State and Local GovernmentA House panel Wednesday approved a proposal that would loosen regulations about the numbers of hours that 16-year-old and 17-year-old youths can work, rolling back parts of a decades-old child labor law.
The Republican-controlled House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee voted 10-5 along party lines to back the bill (HB 49), filed by Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, for the 2024 legislative session.
Democrats criticized the proposal, saying it would provide businesses with "cheap labor" amid a crackdown on undocumented workers and warning it would result in lower high-school graduation rates.
Chaney described the proposal as providing "flexible work options" to young people.
"This bill is not about children," Chaney said. "This bill is about 16- and 17-year-olds. These are youth workers that are driving automobiles. They are not children."
A state labor law includes a series of restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds, including how many hours they can work, what times of day they can work and jobs they can perform. Exceptions include for minors 17 or younger who, for example, are married, in the military or have graduated from high school or earned high-school equivalency diplomas.
The bill would remove prohibitions on 16- and 17-year-olds working before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. It also would remove a prohibition on them working more than eight hours when school is scheduled the following day and more than 30 hours a week when school is in session.
The bill also would prevent local governments from imposing restrictions stricter than state law.
Florida is the 16th state where legislation has been proposed during the past two years to roll back child labor restrictions.
Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, supported the proposal by saying he started work by mowing lawns at age 12 and was busing tables by age 16.
"I learned a work ethic. I learned the value of $1, I learned how to save money," Holcomb said.
While the measure was opposed by groups such as the Florida PTA and the League of Women Voters, it was backed by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.
"We believe the intent is not to erode the importance of education, but to reduce unnecessary restrictive regulation, expand available staffing and grow financial and career development opportunities for young Floridians," said Samantha Padgett, vice president of government relations for the restaurant and lodging group.
Republicans rejected a series of amendments proposed by Democrats, including a proposal to re-create a state Department of Labor. The department was dissolved about two decades ago.
"When we talk about minimum wage, Florida has some of the poorest enforcement of wage theft in the country," Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, said. "And we are asking children to function as adults and not even have a place where they can actually report such violations from employers."
Rep. Susan Valdes, D-Tampa, noted that lawmakers this spring approved later start times for high schools, pointing to a need for teens to get adequate sleep. She said "standards in the state of Florida to earn a high school diploma are much tougher than some" states that have already lowered age restrictions for workers.
Subcommittee Chairman Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, characterized as "inflammatory" a question by Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, about whether the goal of the bill was to use children to replace a shortage of immigrant workers caused by recent legislation.
Chaney said the federal government lists numerous hazardous occupations that would remain unavailable to workers under 18.
The 2024 session will start Jan. 9. Chaney's bill would need approval from two more House panels before it could go to the full House. A Senate version has not been filed.
Jim Turner reports for the News Service of Florida.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllCOVID-19 Death Suit Against Nursing Home Sent to State Court, 11th Circuit Affirms
Year-End Tax Planning: How Real Estate Investors Can Leverage Qualified Opportunity Funds
5 minute readTrending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250