Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was not on board with a bill that recently passed the Ohio legislature, that would have allowed 14 and 15 year olds to work until 9PM on school nights.

Currently, Ohio law only allows teens that young to work that late if they’re out of school for the summer, or on a break from classes longer than 5 days.

DeWine issued a statement explaining his reasoning:

Our child work rules have been in place, across this country, for many years. They have provided that 14- and 15-year-olds can work after school up to 7 p.m. This bill would extend that time to 9 p.m. I believe it unwise to provide for 14- and 15-year-olds to work, on a school night, that late at night. I see no compelling reason to deviate from current law.”

“Under current law, 14- and 15-year-old children CAN work up to 9pm during the summer months and during any school break longer than 5 days in duration (i.e., Christmas break and spring break). Further, under current law, those 16 and older can work up to 9 p.m. even on school nights. The only thing at issue here is whether, for 14- and 15-year-olds, DURING THE SCHOOL WEEK, the time when work must cease is 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. I believe the current law has served us well and has effectively balanced the importance of 14- and 15-year-old children learning to work, with the importance of them having time to study.

For the reasons set forth above, this veto is in the public interest.