Florida House passes bill loosening labor laws for minors: ‘They want to work’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill loosening Florida’s labor laws for minors passed on the House floor Thursday by a vote of 80-35.

The bill says that minors who are 16 and 17 can be employed the same number of hours as a person who is 18 years of age or older.

It also requires them to be treated the same as older workers, with breaks and meal periods.

Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach sponsored HB 49.

Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, sponsored a comparable bill, SB 1596.

The bill removes the following restrictions on work hours for minors 16 and 17 years: working for more than eight hours in any one day when school is scheduled the following day, and when school is in session, working more than 30 hours in any one week.

Chaney noted that states that have aligned their laws for 16 and 17 year old work times and hours have “some of the highest graduation rates in the country.”

“The harmful reality of this statistic is stated by HR managers who say ‘Gen-Z’ers lack career readiness skills for today’s workforce,’ reducing their employment opportunities,'” she said.

Chaney said nearly one million Google searches have been performed for “how can I get a job as a teen?”

“They want to work,” she said. “This bill gets government out of their way to choose a path that’s best for them.”

“Florida needs to let teens prepare themselves for how they will thrive after graduation,” Chaney said.

She said Florida hazardous workplace restrictions for youth remain in place and are “still more stringent” in Florida than federal law allows.

Chaney said the 24 other states that adopted similar legislation have not “seen any negative consequences.”

Democrats proposed multiple amendments which failed to receive enough support.

During debate, Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, said he is “shocked of the debate of the 11 amendments now.”

“I cant believe that taking away the 30 hour requirement is such a gigantic ordeal – it’s not,” he said. “Our kids are not victims […] We need to let them work if they want to.”

Rep. Susan L. Valdés, D-Tampa, spoke in opposition of the bill during debate.

“To blanketly put this out there so our children can be exploited is beyond my mind,” she said. “Please reconsider your support of this bill and think about the well-being of the children of Florida.”

In closing, Chaney noted they are aligning themselves with federal labor laws, but are “still more restrictive.”

“I have yet to hear one person go to Washington and say ‘we need to change the federal labor laws,’ not one person has told me they have gone and done that,” she said.

Chaney reiterated that there have been no negative results from other states that have the same laws.

“This bill is about choice and opportunity for families,” she said.

The Florida Senate must now approve the legislation before it heads to the governor for signature.