COLUMBUS, Ohio — Conservative lawmakers in Ohio want to allow teens to work longer hours on school nights.
According to one Republican Senator, teen workers in Ohio should be permitted to work until 9 p.m. on school nights. Currently, section 4109.07 of the Ohio Revised Code only allows teens to work until 7 p.m.
Those hours are extended on weekends and during summer break months.
As introduced into the Ohio Senate, S.B. 30 states, if the employer has permission from the juvenile’s parent or legal guardian, work hours can be extended. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Republican Tim Schaffer of Lancaster, has yet to be assigned to a committee.
In a similar legislative action, Schaffer proposed a concurrent resolution urging Congress to act accordingly and amend the Fair Labor Standards Act. Portions of the proposed resolution state, “WHEREAS, The Fair Labor Standards Act and Ohio law permits a person under 16 years of age to work until 9 p.m. during summer months or other school holidays; and
WHEREAS, Extending the hours which a person under 16 years of age may work during the school year allows business owners to hire the staff required for the business to resume operating during its usual hours of operation; and
WHEREAS, Local economic growth results when more people are employed and earn wages to spend on goods and services produced by businesses within the local area, which in turn requires businesses to hire more workers to meet the increased demand; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that we, the members of the 135th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge the Congress of the United States to make changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act to allow a person under 16 years of age to be employed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the school year if the person has approval to do so from the person’s parent or legal guardian.”
