Republican Sen. Jay Collins of Hillsborough County has filed a bill allowing employers to schedule minors to work at any time and for more than 30 hours per week.
SB 918, filed Wednesday afternoon, rehashes Republicans’ attempts during the 2024 legislative session to remove break requirements and scheduling limits for teenagers. Although the Legislature passed what was one of the most contested bills last year, the final result requires parents to sign a waiver for 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than 30 hours per week while school is in session and maintain a 30-minute break every four hours of their shift.
Collins wants to remove the waiver requirement for older teens and let them work earlier than 6:30 a.m. and after 11 p.m. on school nights. SB 918 would also get rid of the breaks. There is no House counterpart yet.
The changes wouldn’t only apply to minors over 16. Under the proposal, 14- and 15-year-olds who have graduated from high school, earned a GED, are homeschooled, or attend virtual school could also work longer hours.
“This legislation updates Florida’s minor employment regulations to federal standards, reducing confusion for employers and streamlining opportunities for young workers,” an aide for the senator wrote in an email to Florida Phoenix. “By making these adjustments, SB 918 supports both workforce development and the economic growth of Florida, empowering minors to gain valuable skills and experience in a responsible and structured work environment.”
While there are no federal limits on the number of hours or time of day that 16- and 17-year-olds can work, kids 15 and younger can’t work more than three hours per day on a school day and eight hours on a nonschool day, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Approximately 61,318 of 16- and 17-year-olds who attend school in Florida are also employed, according to an analysis of last year’s legislation from the Florida Policy Institute. The group opposed the changes Republicans originally proposed but considered the final version that is now law less harmful.
“Thanks to strong advocacy, what became law (HB 49) was less harmful than what was originally proposed, but FPI remained opposed. Now, a measure being proposed this session, SB 918, would chip away at youths’ eroding workplace rights even further,” said Alexis Tsoukalas, senior analyst for FPI, in a statement.
–Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
