Overview
- Senate Bill 50, passed 24–9 in the Senate and 62–30 in the House, would have allowed 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights with parental consent.
- Gov. Mike DeWine said later hours would cut into study time and that he saw no compelling reason to change longstanding child labor limits.
- The proposal conflicted with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, though lawmakers also approved a nonbinding resolution urging Congress to loosen those limits.
- An override would require three-fifths majorities in both chambers — 20 votes in the Senate and 60 in the House — and the House is not scheduled to return until February.
- Backers, including the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance, Americans for Prosperity-Ohio and NFIB-Ohio, cited staffing needs, while opponents warned of academic harms, cheaper youth labor at $7.25 an hour, and compliance problems seen in other states.