STATE NEWS

Proposed bill would eliminate limits on work hours for 16- and 17-year-olds

A bill proposed by Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, would let 16- and 17-year-olds work as many hours as people who are 18 or older.

By The News Service of Florida
| 10:00 a.m. September 22, 2023

State Government

A House Republican on Monday, Sept. 18, filed a bill that could lift restrictions on the numbers of hours that 16-year-old and 17-year-old youths can work in Florida.

Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, filed the bill (HB 49) for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, which will start in January.

The bill would delete part of state law that says minors who are age 16 or 17 can’t work before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. or for more than eight hours when school is scheduled the next day.

The law also bars 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds from working more than 30 hours a week when school is in session.

“Minors 16 and 17 years of age may be employed, permitted, or suffered to work the same number of hours as a person who is 18 years of age or older,” the bill says.