In a message explaining his veto decision, DeWine said the change would cut down on students’ study time, and that he sees “no compelling reason to deviate from current law.”
“The bill would, for the first time, allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work up to 9 pm on SCHOOL NIGHTS,” DeWine wrote, with the emphasis his. “...I believe it unwise to provide for 14- and 15-year-olds to work, on a school night, that late at night.”
S.B. 50 does not propose changes to any other aspect of the state’s child labor laws, like where 14- and 15-year-olds are allowed to work or the hours they’re allowed to work.
The governor’s veto puts the bill, passed by votes of 24-9 in the Senate and 62-30 in the House, into limbo. The Ohio House and Senate could override the veto with a three-fifths vote in each chamber, which Republicans should be able to pull off if every yay vote stays a yay.
S.B. 50 is lauded by supporters as a measure to give 14- and 15-year-olds more flexibility in their working schedules. Ohio’s unit of the National Federation of Independent Business projected that the bill “may help address some of our members workforce needs,” in committee testimony.
Only one Republican lawmaker voted against the measure.
The rest of the voting opposition came from Democrats, whose arguments largely resembled those from DeWine in his veto message.
“S.B. 50 is a problematic bill, and I’m glad to see Governor DeWine veto it,” said state Sen. Willis Blackshear, D-Dayton, who voted against the bill both in committee and on the Senate floor. “We want our young people to enter the workforce, but having 14- and 15-year-olds work late into the school night is irresponsible and raises significant safety concerns.”
Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank, argued that DeWine’s veto also protects Ohio businesses from a “compliance risk,” given that S.B. 50 would contradict with federal law.
“In Iowa, where a similar policy was passed in 2023, businesses have been racking up tens of thousands of dollars in fines for labor violations,” wrote the organizations Executive Director Hannah Halbert, noting one Subway franchise was fined $73,000 for teen-related scheduling infractions.
Republicans and Democrats were similarly split on Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, which urged the U.S. Congress to change federal child labor laws to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights, citing pandemic-era job loss and an ongoing worker shortage. S.C.R. 3, passed by GOP support in both chambers, cannot be vetoed by the governor.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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