Florida - Monday March 25, 2024: Governor DeSantis signed a bill Friday that allows 16 and 17-year-olds to work more than 30 hours a week, if they get parental permission.
St. Pete Beach Republican Representative Linda Chaney introduced The Employment and Curfew of Minors Act, House Bill 49. Her original version would have allowed 16 and 17-year-olds to work more than 40 hours a week, and more than eight hours a day, without breaks. And it did not allow parents to have a say in their child's work hours.
Democrats raised objections saying it would violate child labor laws.
The measure was then revised by the Florida Senate to give parents a say. The final version would prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from working more than eight hours if they have school the next day, unless it's a Sunday or a holiday. And the law requires a 30-minute break every four hours if the 16 or 17-year-old has a shift longer than eight hours.
The legislation will take effect on July 1st.