Florida lawmakers may loosen child labor laws to fill jobs left by undocumented immigrants

Florida State Capitol building

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers are looking to children to fill low-wage jobs left open by the undocumented immigration crackdown, CNN reports.

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According to the network, Senate Bill 918 would allow children as young as 14 to work overnight shifts.

Currently, teens are prevented from working earlier than 6:30 a.m. or later than 11 p.m.

CNN reports that Gov. Ron DeSantis is in favor of the bill.

“Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people,” DeSantis said at an immigration panel, according to the network. “And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up.”

The bill, according to CNN, would also eliminate working time restrictions on 14- and 15-year-olds if they are home-schooled and end guaranteed meal breaks for teens aged 16 and 17.

It went in front of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee on Tuesday, where it advanced with a 5 to 4 recommendation.


About the Author
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Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

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