Florida Voters Oppose Relaxing Child Labor Laws, According to Mason-Dixon Poll

Most registered voters in Florida don’t support a measure that would roll back child labor protections and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work unlimited hours per day or week, including overnight shifts on school days, according to a poll released recently by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, reports Florida Politics.

Voters say they oppose House Bill 49, which just cleared its first committee, at rate of 72% compared with 19% who say they support the change.

The legislation would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to expand their work hours — currently they are limited to 30 hours per week when school is in session. They are also banned from working between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. or for more than eight hours on any day before school.

Florida House Republican Linda Chaney, who filed the bill for the 2024 Legislative Session that starts Tuesday, called it an “opportunity for families to be able to help themselves and build life skills that will serve them later in life and help our small businesses who will help our labor shortages all in one.”

According to Florida Politics, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association supports the bill while the Florida PTA is against it.

So are 75% of female voters, 69% of male voters, 74% of white voters, 74% of hispanic voters and 64% of Black voters.

Florida Policy Institute CEO Sadaf Knight in a statement said the results weren’t surprising.

“Florida voters want the best for kids in this state and are not willing to sacrifice the well-being of children so employers can fill open positions with cheap labor,” she said. “Our state lawmakers should be focused on improving the health and safety of Florida youth, not removing crucial labor law protections.”