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COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill introduced to the Ohio Senate would extend the hours teenagers can work, as long as their parent gives permission.
Ohio law allows teens younger than 16 to have surgery, emancipate themselves and become parents — but they wouldn't be able to spend two more hours scooping ice cream at their part-time job, even with parental permission.
Ohio Restaurant Association’s John Barker explains that teenagers joining the workforce helped the economy through the pandemic closures, but the state is still struggling with staffing shortages that led to diminished hours for many businesses.
"Most of our operators are still short between ten and 20% of the staff," Barker said.
Teens could help fill that gap, he added. That reasoning is why state Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) introduced Senate Bill 30.
Read the full text of the bill here
Senate Bill 30 would allow 14 and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. year-round with permission from a parent or legal guardian. Currently, these teens can only work until 7 p.m. during the school year and 9 p.m. during the summer months or on any school holiday of five days or more.
This is not the first time the bill has been heard. It was introduced as a bipartisan bill last General Assembly, making its way through the Senate unanimously, but made it into the House on the last day of the session. Schaffer did not respond to comment Monday, but he explained his reasoning during sponsor testimony for...
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