Changes to Florida’s child labor laws
The Florida Legislature is moving ahead with efforts to roll back the state’s child labor laws.
A bill that would remove a number of employment restrictions for minors cleared the Florida House and is gaining support in the Senate. The proposal — HB 49 — would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than 30 hours a week when school is in session.
While Republicans frame the reform as creating choice for teens and their families, Democrats say it removes protections for some of the most vulnerable young workers. Meanwhile, a separate bill would change the rules at construction sites and would allow 16- and 17-year olds to work at construction sites on ladders up to 6 feet.
Guests:
- Danny Rivero, investigative reporter for WLRN News.
- Rep. John Snyder, member of the Florida House of Representatives (R-Parts of Martin and Palm Beach counties).
Woodward and Bernstein reflect on Watergate 50 years later
This year marks 50 years since the first and only resignation by an American president.
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the reporters who uncovered the Watergate cover-up that led to Richard Nixon stepping down. The scandal was a significant constitutional test involving the White House, Congress and the courts.
Woodward and Bernstein continue reporting and chronicling American presidents and politics. We caught up with the legendary reporters about the state of journalism and its impact on American Democracy.
Guests:
- Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and associate editor at The Washington Post.
- Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and Washington bureau chief for ABC News.
Homelessness in Florida
Outreach workers and volunteers spent some of January in parking lots, on streets and other places counting and speaking with people living without homes. These Point-in-Time counts happen across the country, and WGCU’s Eileen Kelley gives us a snapshot of how the process is going in Lee County.
A bill that would prohibit encampments of people experiencing homelessness is making its way through the Florida Senate. The legislation bans local governments from allowing anyone to sleep or camp on public property without a permit, but it doesn’t require cities or counties to issue those permits.
The need for housing assistance is on the rise, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. High rent, low wages and strong demand for public funding means some wait years for housing help, as WMFE’s Lillian Hernández Caraballo reports.