As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session S. C. R. No. 3
2025-2026
Senator Schaffer
Cosponsors: Senators Reineke, Lang, Wilkin
A C O N C U R R E N T R E S O L U T I O N
To urge Congress 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.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING):
WHEREAS, The United States lost over 22 million jobs and
had an unemployment rate of 14.8% in April 2020, as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest observed unemployment rate
since data collection began in 1948; and
WHEREAS, Employers are still experiencing a shortage of
workers to fill the eight million currently available positions,
despite the economy recovering jobs that were lost because of
the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, Teenage workers are becoming a larger portion of
the United States workforce, with an unemployment rate of 13.2%
in November 2024; and
WHEREAS, Business owners have had to adjust their
operations in response to the ongoing labor shortage, including
decreasing their open hours; and
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18 S. C. R. No. 3 Page 2
As Introduced
WHEREAS, Business owners could more quickly return to
regular operations, including resuming their usual open hours,
by being able to hire the necessary staff to meet their
operating needs; and
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 136th 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; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly
authenticated copies of this resolution to the President Pro
Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker
and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the
members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the news media
of Ohio.
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