This past March, the state of Florida advanced a bill allowing students as young as fourteen to work. This would permit the overnight labor of these students on school nights. In addition, students sixteen and seventeen could work up to thirty hours a week with no required break. Florida Senate Commerce believes this move will help fill employment gaps that are now available due to the states crackdown on immigration. Despite the five votes in favor of the bill, there has been some pushback from left wing politicians. Specifically, the quality of education has been questioned, if this bill is enforced. Not only this, but the pressures on lower income students to work long hours, putting their education at risk. The direct motives of this bill may negatively affect work environments for adult workers as well. Anna Eskamani, Orlando democratic representative says, “‘When you saturate the workforce with cheap labor, this will be what happens. It impacts every worker, bargaining power, every worker's ability to advocate for better benefits and for better wages.’” Therefore, this proposed bill will not only have an impact on the students but the workforce as a whole. As Florida rapidly alters laws around child labor it raises the question: how is education valued compared to the ever evolving economy?
