On July 1st, two Florida laws liberalizing the state's restrictions on labor by 16- and 17-year-olds will go into effect. The first law, House Bill 49 allows older teenagers to work longer hours on days when school isn't in session and allows them to work more than 30 hours a week during the school year with a parent or school superintendent's permission. The second law, House Bill 917, allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work in residential building construction.
While the laws have faced pushback from critics who argue that they place teenagers in danger of neglecting their educations, the new laws will primarily work to bring Florida in line with several other states' regulations on teen labor.
