The state of Florida has passed a law through its House of Representatives that would authorize 16- and 17-year-olds to work more hours. In this case, it will not be considered if they have classes on the next day, as reported by the AP agency.
House representatives voted 80 in favor of the bill and 35 against. The attitude of both parties was very clear; Republicans expressed their support for the administration, while Democrats reflected their almost total disapproval.
By the way, Republican Representative Linda Cheney remarked that young people in Florida are eager to find jobs and are often looking for ways to do so.
“There are about a million searches for ‘how can I get a job as a teenager’. They want to work. “This bill gets the government out of their way so they can choose the path that’s best for them.”
Exploitation of minors?
That’s what Democrats fear. Most of its representatives argued that this new law could lead to the exploitation of minors in Florida.
They agreed that increased working hours would significantly affect the academic performance of adolescents.
Opponents of the law also argued that current labor laws already allow students enough time to work and attend school.
“The most obvious problem is that we see labor shortages in various sectors of the economy. Part of that has to do with the decisions this Legislature has made on immigration,” Rep. Anna Escamani said.
If the rules go into effect, they will remove the current restrictions. Now, 16- and 17-year-olds are prohibited from working more than eight hours when there are classes the next day. This is what happens when they work more than 30 hours a week during the school year.
