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 1439.
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...
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