Ohio Senate approves measures on youth work hours, school drug education and solid-waste rules; youth work-hours vote draws opposition

The Ohio Senate on Tuesday adopted a concurrent resolution and three bills addressing minor work hours, school-based substance-prevention instruction and solid-waste management.

The most contested vote was on allowing 14- and 15-year-olds, with parental and school consent, to work until 9 p.m. year-round. The chamber approved the change in a bill and adopted a companion concurrent resolution after a floor debate that split senators. Supporters described it as protecting parental choice and giving teens work opportunities; opponents warned it risks student safety, academic impacts and the rollback of child-labor protections.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Concurrent Resolution 3: Urged Congress to allow people under 16 to be employed between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the school year (adopted, 24–9).

- Senate Bill 50: Amended age, schooling-certificate and minor work-hour requirements to permit 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. year-round with parental and school consent; required a commerce-developed minor work-hour notification form (passed, 24–9).

- Senate Bill 7: Required annual, developmentally appropriate instruction for K–12 students on the harmful effects of substance abuse (including opioids, marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes), and added anti-bullying and anti-hazing instruction; directed the Ohio Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to develop a list of evidence‑based curricula and materials (passed, 33–0).

- Senate Bill 147 (amended): Changed law governing transfer and disposal of solid waste and construction and demolition debris and established procedures for a county to withdraw from a joint solid-waste management district (passed, 33–0).

What passed and why it mattered

Youth work-hours (concurrent resolution and Senate Bill 50)

Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, sponsored on the floor by Senator Schafer, urged Congress to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year if parents and the student’s school consent. Senator Schaeffer brought Senate Bill 50, the companion state bill, which would change Ohio law to permit the later hours with the same parental- and school-consent framework and requires the director of commerce to create a publicly available minor work-hour notification form with a parent/guardian signature space.

Senator Schaeffer said the changes would ‘‘help employers across Ohio with their staffing problems and also encourage teenagers to further develop their good working skills.’’ He reiterated that existing guardrails would remain in place, including the prohibition on work between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., the three-hour-per-school-day limit, and the 18-hour-per-week school-session limit.

Opponents raised safety and welfare concerns. Senator Ingram said child-labor protections exist ‘‘for a reason’’ and urged a no vote on the concurrent resolution. Senator Smith argued the correct policy response to workforce shortages is to make adult employment more feasible—by investing in childcare and related supports—rather than expand hours for minors. Senator Blackshear warned of transportation and safety risks for low-income teens who might not arrive home until after dark.

The chamber adopted the concurrent resolution 24–9 and passed Senate Bill 50 by the same margin.

School substance-abuse instruction (Senate Bill 7)

Senator Johnson, the sponsor, said Ohio has spent ‘‘millions upon millions’’ on treatment and that prevention remains undercoordinated and hard to measure. Senate Bill 7 requires annual, developmentally appropriate instruction across public, community, career-technical and college-preparatory schools on the harmful effects of substances (including opioids, marijuana, alcohol, tobacco and e-cigarettes). The bill also requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, in collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to compile a list of evidence‑based curricula, materials and instructional strategies schools may use.

Senator Brenner highlighted an amendment added in committee requiring anti-bullying and anti-hazing instruction, noting the change was requested by the Stone Fultz Foundation after a hazing-related death. Supporters said the measure targets prevention and student well-being; the bill passed unanimously, 33–0.

Solid waste and construction-demolition debris (Senate Bill 147, amended)

Senator Reineke described Senate Bill 147 as a response to increasing volumes of out‑of‑state construction and demolition debris and the pressure that trend places on Ohio communities. The bill permits a county to withdraw from a multi-county solid-waste district by a vote of its board of county commissioners, allows a permissive tax (already on the books) to be applied to construction and demolition material in certain circumstances, and directs that a portion of revenues may be allocated to county health districts for oversight activities.

Senator Hicks‑Hudson, a former mayor, and Senator Craig spoke in support, describing the bill as additional local control and oversight to address odors, water issues and train traffic associated with waste transport. The Senate passed the amended bill 33–0.

Votes and next steps

All four measures were titled and agreed to on the Senate floor; the transcript records the roll calls and the numerical outcomes listed above. Senate Bill 7 and Senate Bill 147 passed unanimously. Senate Bill 50 and the companion concurrent resolution passed 24–9.

The record shows floor debate for each item, and senators on both sides described the bills’ intended benefits and expressed concerns. For the measures that change state law (the bills), the next step is transmittal to the other chamber for consideration under the General Assembly’s legislative process.

Speakers and attribution

Quotes in this report come from senators who spoke on the record during the April 8 session: Senator Schaeffer (supporting the minors’ work-hours change), Senator Ingram (opposed to changing work hours), Senator Johnson (sponsor of Senate Bill 7), Senator Brenner (supporting SB7’s anti-hazing language), Senator Reineke (sponsor of SB147), Senator Hicks‑Hudson and Senator Craig (supporting SB147), Senator Smith and Senator Blackshear (expressing opposition to expanding child work hours). Where a speaker’s transcript name was inconsistent, this report uses the surname and the role of senator as shown in the Senate transcript.

Ending

The Senate completed its business and adjourned to its next session; the transcript records the votes and the debate summarized here. Further committee and chamber action will determine whether the bills become law.