Florida GOP Advances Bill To Loosen Child Labor Laws

Florida Politics reports:

A bill that would remove all work hour restrictions on 16- and 17-year-olds — including the prohibition on overnight shifts on school nights — received lawmakers’ approval at its first committee stop over Democrats’ objections. Rep. Linda Chaney’s bill (HB 49) went before the House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee. It proposes to roll back decades of state restrictions on child labor.

Kids want to work, she said, noting that teen workforce participation has dropped precipitously since Florida adopted its current guidelines in the 1930s. “This bill gets government out of their way to choose the path that is best for them,” she said. “There’s going to be so much time for them to be an adult,” said Rep. Susan Valdés. She invoked a familiar theme that Republicans sounded as laws were passed restricting LGBTQ materials in schools. “Let kids be children.”

Read the full article. Florida teens can’t “choose” to attend a drag show, even with their parents, but they can choose to work overnight fast food shifts before school. So say the Republicans.

Bill that would loosen decades-old child labor restrictions advances over Democrats’ objections

Reporting by @AnneBocahttps://t.co/5GBywQYa9a#FlaPol

— Florida Politics (@Fla_Pol) December 13, 2023