From Playgrounds to Paychecks: Lawmakers Target Child Labor Laws to Solve Employment Crisis

Florida lawmakers are considering further changes to child labor rules, sparking sharp debate across party lines. Florida Senate panel approved a proposal (SB 918) that would roll back work restrictions for minors as young as 14, just a year after the state already loosened its child labor laws.

The bill would remove limits on 16- and 17-year-olds working more than eight hours on school nights or over 30 hours a week during the school year. It also eliminates required breaks for long shifts. For 14- and 15-year-olds who are homeschooled, in virtual school, or have graduated, the bill allows even greater flexibility, including overnight shifts.

Bill sponsor Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, said the proposal aligns Florida with federal standards. "We're not talking about The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. We're talking about them working at Publix," Collins said. "This is a parental rights thing. Parents know their kids best."

Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, called the measure dangerous, especially for vulnerable children. “This bill is going to lead to exploitation of minors, exploitation of children,” Smith said. He also suggested the motivation may be tied to labor shortages caused by immigration crackdowns.

Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, voiced concerns raised by young opponents of the bill. “It takes away basic safeguards,” she said, warning of academic decline and mental health issues. “There is something detrimentally wrong with what we're doing here.”

Alexis Tsoukalas of the Florida Policy Institute warned that most teens already working are stretched thin. “We don’t let kids this young get a driver’s license... so why are we OK treating them like adults?” she asked.

Even some Republicans expressed hesitation. “I think we need to let kids be kids,” said Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. Others like Sen. Tom Wright voted yes but emphasized the bill “needs some work.”

Despite the pushback, the measure passed in a narrow 5-4 vote.

Link: WESH