Florida Legislators seek to reform child labor laws
By Richard Copeland
April 3, 2025 at 4:59 PM EDT
Two bills are advancing in the Florida Legislature that would roll back state regulations regarding the hours teens can work.
Florida Legislators Seek to Reform Child Labor Laws
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set federal baselines for what constitutes acceptable working conditions for youth under 18 – laws that prevent kids from operating dangerous machinery like meat processors or working on rooftops. Many of the regulations deal with scheduling and school times – kids under sixteen are not allowed to work certain hours during the school year.
States can bolster these protections, as Florida has over the years. For example, state law mandates that minors under 17 cannot work more than four consecutive hours without a break.
Now, The Florida legislature is looking to follow the lead of other states like Arkansas, New Hampshire and New Jersey, which in recent years have loosened state laws that regulate the employment of minors.
Florida’s Senate Bill 918 was filed by GOP Senator Jay Collins, who represents a large swath of Tampa. The House version of the bill was filed by Monique Miller, a Republican representing a healthy chunk of Brevard County. If passed, the bills would allow children as young as fourteen to work overnight shifts, even on school nights. Current Florida law caps night-time work for minors at 11pm on school nights. The new law would also allow employers to schedule kids for more than 30 hours a week, schedule during school hours and eliminate mandatory breaks.
The effort to roll back youth labor restrictions has the support of Governor DeSantis, who touched on the topic while speaking at an immigration roundtable last week.
The bills have both labor advocates and educators concerned about the impact these laws could have if abused by exploitive employers. The Florida Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan non-profit advocating for improvements to economic equality in Florida. Earlier this week, they offered testimony before the Florida House Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee that this bill would be harmful to the development and education of Florida’s youth.
Engage spoke about these bills with Holly Bullard, Chief Strategy and Development Officer with the Florida Policy Institute.
We invited both Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Monique Miller to join us to discuss their bills. We never heard from Miller’s staff, but we did get a written statement from the office of Sen. Collins that said:
“This is about trusting parents—not government—with decisions about their own kids. This bill gives families the freedom to decide when their teenagers can work, while still keeping basic guardrails in place. It lines Florida up with federal law and removes red tape that held back motivated young people who want to earn a paycheck and build real-world experience. There are no mandates in this bill just more options for families— it puts the choice back where it belongs: with the family not the government.”
We also invited representatives from the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association – the primary trade association supporting this legislation. We received no response.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set federal baselines for what constitutes acceptable working conditions for youth under 18 – laws that prevent kids from operating dangerous machinery like meat processors or working on rooftops. Many of the regulations deal with scheduling and school times – kids under sixteen are not allowed to work certain hours during the school year.
States can bolster these protections, as Florida has over the years. For example, state law mandates that minors under 17 cannot work more than four consecutive hours without a break.
Now, The Florida legislature is looking to follow the lead of other states like Arkansas, New Hampshire and New Jersey, which in recent years have loosened state laws that regulate the employment of minors.
Florida’s Senate Bill 918 was filed by GOP Senator Jay Collins, who represents a large swath of Tampa. The House version of the bill was filed by Monique Miller, a Republican representing a healthy chunk of Brevard County. If passed, the bills would allow children as young as fourteen to work overnight shifts, even on school nights. Current Florida law caps night-time work for minors at 11pm on school nights. The new law would also allow employers to schedule kids for more than 30 hours a week, schedule during school hours and eliminate mandatory breaks.
The effort to roll back youth labor restrictions has the support of Governor DeSantis, who touched on the topic while speaking at an immigration roundtable last week.
The bills have both labor advocates and educators concerned about the impact these laws could have if abused by exploitive employers. The Florida Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan non-profit advocating for improvements to economic equality in Florida. Earlier this week, they offered testimony before the Florida House Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee that this bill would be harmful to the development and education of Florida’s youth.
Engage spoke about these bills with Holly Bullard, Chief Strategy and Development Officer with the Florida Policy Institute.
We invited both Sen. Jay Collins and Rep. Monique Miller to join us to discuss their bills. We never heard from Miller’s staff, but we did get a written statement from the office of Sen. Collins that said:
“This is about trusting parents—not government—with decisions about their own kids. This bill gives families the freedom to decide when their teenagers can work, while still keeping basic guardrails in place. It lines Florida up with federal law and removes red tape that held back motivated young people who want to earn a paycheck and build real-world experience. There are no mandates in this bill just more options for families— it puts the choice back where it belongs: with the family not the government.”
We also invited representatives from the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association – the primary trade association supporting this legislation. We received no response.