A Republican-backed bill to roll back decades of child labor laws and allow children as young as 16 to work longer hours in Florida is zipping through committees in the 2024 Florida legislative session.

A bill titled "Employment and Curfew of Minors" (HB 49), introduced in September by Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. Pete Beach, would allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-old minors to work between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., to work more than eight hours a day (even when they have school the next day) and more than six consecutive days in a week, and over 30 hours a week all year.

The bill also removes work restrictions for home and virtually schooled students and dropouts, removes work protections for certain classes of students, and prevents local municipalities from enforcing curfews that would conflict with the newly expanded work hours. A similar bill was filed in the Senate.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/01/17/florida-gop-bill-would-loosen-state-child-labor-laws-allow-more-hours/72254331007/