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Florida Republicans advance bill to allow 'opportunity' to earn less than minimum wage
A recent survey found that nearly half of Floridians are considering leaving the state due to cost-of-living concerns, with 80 percent of respondents citing concerns about housing affordability and over 40 percent stating they believe the so-called “American Dream” no longer exists.
Florida lawmakers have come up with a number of proposals to address affordability concerns, while another has garnered concerns that it could push more Floridians into poverty.
A panel of Florida lawmakers on Wednesday, for instance, advanced one bill (HB 221) that would allow certain types of workers to temporarily “opt out” of being paid minimum wage, despite critics warning the bill would open the floodgates to exploitation and legalize cheap labor.
Under the proposal, workers in Florida who are enrolled in an internship program, pre-apprenticeship, work-study program or “other similar work-based learning opportunity” would be allowed to sign a waiver opting out of being paid Florida’s minimum wage, at least temporarily. Adults would be permitted to waive their minimum wage rights for up to 252 days (or two college semesters), while minors under age 18 would be permitted to do so for 126 days (about one college semester).
Workers, under the proposal, would be able to opt out of being paid the Florida minimum wage of $14 an hour — equal to $29, 120 a year working full-time — but would need to be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. That wage floor hasn’t budged since 2009. Florida’s minimum wage, in contrast, is scheduled to rise to $15 an hour later this year as the result of a constitutional amendment that was approved by more than 6 million Florida voters in 2020.
Florida lawmakers have come up with a number of proposals to address affordability concerns, while another has garnered concerns that it could push more Floridians into poverty.
A panel of Florida lawmakers on Wednesday, for instance, advanced one bill (HB 221) that would allow certain types of workers to temporarily “opt out” of being paid minimum wage, despite critics warning the bill would open the floodgates to exploitation and legalize cheap labor.
Under the proposal, workers in Florida who are enrolled in an internship program, pre-apprenticeship, work-study program or “other similar work-based learning opportunity” would be allowed to sign a waiver opting out of being paid Florida’s minimum wage, at least temporarily. Adults would be permitted to waive their minimum wage rights for up to 252 days (or two college semesters), while minors under age 18 would be permitted to do so for 126 days (about one college semester).
Workers, under the proposal, would be able to opt out of being paid the Florida minimum wage of $14 an hour — equal to $29, 120 a year working full-time — but would need to be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. That wage floor hasn’t budged since 2009. Florida’s minimum wage, in contrast, is scheduled to rise to $15 an hour later this year as the result of a constitutional amendment that was approved by more than 6 million Florida voters in 2020.
https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/florida-republicans-advance-bill-to-allow-opportunity-to-earn-less-than-minimum-wage/
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