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Dive Brief:
- A bill introduced in the Florida Legislature provides exemptions to allow children under the age of 16 to work in roofing jobs, while revising requirements to expand career fairs to help employers hire students for the trades.
- Florida State Senate Bill 460introduced Nov. 14 by state Sen. Corey Simon, a Republican, would allow minors with OSHA 10 certifications to perform commercial and residential roofing work, as long as a worker 21 or older with two years of experience and the same certification supervises .
- In addition, the bill would require annual career fairs at high schools to provide 11th and 12th graders with an opportunity to meet with employers in industries such as agriculture, construction and nursing to learn about professional and technical education.
Diving knowledge:
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act — which sets minimum wages, overtime and child labor rules — workers under the age of 16 can only do clerical or sales work in the construction industry. 16- and 17-year-olds can work on construction sites, but federal law prohibits them from doing jobs that are considered too dangerous, such as roofing.
Another bill in the Florida House of Representatives could remove some restrictions on the hours minors can work, allowing them to work later in the day.
The fate of these laws is murky. Both bills have been sent to committees for review, ahead of any vote by the Republican-dominated state legislature.
Some critics have criticized Act 460, saying it is a stopgap solution to keep jobs personnel following recent immigration reform As a result of a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, Florida use the E-Verify system to certify Eligibility of workers to work in the US Since then, undocumented workers have left jobs to work elsewhere, exacerbating the need for labor.
Trace Zarr, director of government relations for the Alabama chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, which represents Northwest Florida contractors, said the employers’ group “supports the expansion of technical education programs and learning to allow high school students the opportunity to receive real-world hands-on experience in the construction field.”
However, Zarr said, solutions to stem the ongoing labor crisis must also provide rigorous training and safety to ensure the health of workers of all ages is not compromised.
Some Florida policy experts said they believe the bill could put young workers at risk.
“The state’s prioritization of increasing skilled trades in the Sunshine State is laudable, but it should not come at the expense of children’s health and safety,” wrote Sadaf Knight, CEO of the Florida Policy Institute. , in one statement shared with Orlando Weekly. “In an industry like construction where tight deadlines and safety risks abound, Florida should not expose teenagers to additional dangers, especially when there is no guarantee that a supervisor can ensure the child’s well-being when they are at a ladder or ceiling of the workplace”.
Safety and work needs
Florida is not the first state to implement such legislation, although unlike other efforts, the bill focuses specifically on the trades. In March, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law that repealed protections against child labor.
The Youth Employment Act of 2023 eliminate the state’s requirement that children under 16 need permission from the Division of Labor to be hired, simplify the hiring process for those age groups, and eliminate certification requirements of work and verify proof of age.
Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New Hampshire introduced laws or considered bills around the same time as Arkansas, which loosen protections against child laborthe New Republic reported.
“The lack of skilled labor is the biggest threat facing the roofing industry. Allowing skilled labor to enter the workforce earlier with the right guidelines can help supplement the strength of work,” said Trent Cotney, partner and construction team leader at the law firm Adams and Reese in Tampa, Florida.
When it comes to the safety of young workers, Cotney said, “training and safety are paramount, but many older teenagers will benefit from gaining real-world skills before they graduate from high school.”
