Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1596 By Senator Burgess 23-00392B-24 20241596__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the employment of minors; amending 3 s. 450.081, F.S.; removing certain employment 4 restrictions for minors 16 and 17 years of age; 5 revising the age at which certain employment 6 restrictions apply; authorizing the Department of 7 Business and Professional Regulation to grant waivers 8 of certain employment restrictions; specifying 9 applicable penalties for noncompliant employers; 10 making technical changes; providing an effective date. 11 12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13 14 Section 1.Section 450.081, Florida Statutes, is amended to 15 read: 16 450.081Hours of work in certain occupations. 17 (1)(a)Minors 15 years of age or younger may shall not be 18 employed, permitted, or suffered to work: 19 1.Before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. when school is scheduled 20 the following day. Or 21 2.For more than 15 hours in any one week when school is in 22 session. 23 (b)On any school day, minors 15 years of age or younger 24 who are not enrolled in a career education program may shall not 25 be gainfully employed for more than 3 hours, unless there is no 26 session of school the following day. 27 (c)(b)During holidays and summer vacations, minors 15 28 years of age or younger may shall not be employed, permitted, or 29 suffered to work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., for more than 8 30 hours in any one day, or for more than 40 hours in any one week. 31 (2)(a)Minors 16 and 17 years of age may shall not be 32 employed, permitted, or suffered to work: 33 1.Before 5:30 a.m. 6:30 a.m. or after 12 a.m. 11:00 p.m. 34 when school is scheduled the following day. or 35 2.For more than 8 hours in any one day when school is 36 scheduled the following day, except when the day of work is on a 37 holiday or Sunday. 38 3.For more than 30 hours in any one week when school is in 39 session, minors 16 and 17 years of age shall not work more than 40 30 hours in any one week. 41 (b)On any school day, minors 16 and 17 years of age who 42 are not enrolled in a career education program may shall not be 43 gainfully employed during school hours. 44 (3)Minors 15 17 years of age or younger may shall not be 45 employed, permitted, or suffered to work in any gainful 46 occupation for more than 6 consecutive days in any one week. 47 (4)Minors 15 17 years of age or younger may shall not be 48 employed, permitted, or suffered to work for more than 4 hours 49 continuously without an interval of at least 30 minutes for a 50 meal period; and for the purposes of this law, a no period of 51 less than 30 minutes is not shall be deemed to interrupt a 52 continuous period of work. 53 (5)The provisions of Subsections (1)-(4) do shall not 54 apply to: 55 (a)Minors 16 and 17 years of age who have graduated from 56 high school or received a high school equivalency diploma. 57 (b)Minors who are within the compulsory school attendance 58 age limit and who hold a valid certificate of exemption issued 59 by the school superintendent or his or her designee pursuant to 60 the provisions of s. 1003.21(3). 61 (c)Minors enrolled in an a public educational institution 62 who qualify on a hardship basis, such as economic necessity or 63 family emergency. Such determination shall be made by The school 64 superintendent or his or her designee shall make such 65 determination and issue, and a waiver of hours shall be issued 66 to the minor and the employer. The form and contents thereof 67 shall be prescribed by the department. 68 (d)Minors 16 and 17 years of age who are in a home 69 education program or are enrolled in an approved virtual 70 instruction program in which the minor is separated from the 71 teacher by time only. 72 (e)Minors Children in domestic service in private homes, 73 minors children employed by their parents, or pages in the 74 Florida Legislature. 75 (6)The department may grant a waiver of the restrictions 76 imposed by this section pursuant to s. 450.095. 77 (7)(6)The presence of a any minor in any place of 78 employment during working hours is shall be prima facie evidence 79 of his or her employment therein. 80 (8)An employer who requires, schedules, or otherwise 81 causes a minor to be employed, permitted, or suffered to work in 82 violation of this section commits a violation of the law, 83 punishable as provided in s. 450.141. 84 Section 2.This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.