Overview
- Senate Bill 50 would have extended the cutoff from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on school nights for 14- and 15-year-olds with a parent or guardian’s approval and a signed notification form.
- The Republican-led Legislature passed the measure before it reached the governor, who rejected it Wednesday night; overriding the veto would require three-fifths support in each chamber.
- DeWine noted that current Ohio rules already allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during summer and school breaks of five days or longer, and that 16- and 17-year-olds may work until 9 p.m. on school nights.
- Because the Fair Labor Standards Act generally bars 14- and 15-year-olds from working past 7 p.m. during the school year, a state-only change would not apply to many employers.
- Business groups including the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance, Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, and NFIB-Ohio backed the bill, while Democratic critics and child-advocacy voices warned of harms to school performance and reliance on lower-paid youth labor.