Congress moves to let teens work 24 hours weekly during school year
H.R. 3545 — TEENS Act · Filed by Dusty Johnson (R-SD) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced May 21, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to allow 14- and 16-year-olds to work up to 24 hours per week during school weeks, with work hours capped between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Currently, federal law restricts teen work hours during the school year to protect education and safety. This bill loosens that restriction, allowing employers to schedule more hours for working teenagers without triggering the law's 'oppressive child labor' protections.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a carve-out from federal child-labor protections. It does not ban teen work or create new rights; it removes an existing safeguard (the Secretary's authority to restrict hours as oppressive) and replaces it with a bright-line exemption (24 hrs/week, 7am–9pm). This is deregulation of teen labor standards.
What the text implies
- The 24-hour weekly limit applies only 'in a week during any part of which school is in session'—weeks with school breaks or summer are not covered, potentially allowing unlimited hours outside the school calendar.
- The bill does not address cumulative fatigue, homework time, or sleep deprivation; a teen working 24 hours/week plus full-time school attendance may face cognitive and health impacts not captured by the hourly cap alone.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
retail employers; food service and hospitality chains; fast-casual restaurants