A billionaire-backed conservative think tank is trying to roll back Florida child labor law
A conservative think tank in Florida thats lobbied Republicans in state legislatures across the country to relax child labor law also wrote legislation to accomplish a similar aim in Florida, new records show. A bill filed in September by Florida Republican Linda Chaney, a member of the state House, would undo decades of child labor regulations by loosening restrictions on how late older teens in Florida can work. It would also prevent local governments from passing limitations stricter than the states. Its filing complements a growing movement to roll back labor regulations established to protect the health and safety of children. Labor advocates have suspected that the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Naples-based group that drafted legislation to roll back child labor laws in other states, is behind Chaney's bill. Now, public records originally obtained by More Perfect Union, including emails and text messages, prove it.
Emails show that the Foundation for Government Accountability, a dark money group funded by a bunch of ultra-conservatives and a billionaire mega-donor, doesnt just support Chaneys bill, but literally wrote it themselves.
They also provided Chaney, a Republican from St. Pete Beach, with talking points to counter the backlash it quickly received. State lawmakers, the majority of whom are Republicans, will consider the bill (HB 49) during an upcoming legislative session that begins Jan. 9, 2024.
Public records show a legislative aide for Chaney began communicating with the Foundation for Government Accountability over email about Youth Worker Freedom legislation in late July. An initial email from the aide shows this communication came at the request of Chaney herself, who instructed her aide to follow up with the FGA about legislation concerning youth worker freedom. (Chaney's office did not respond to Orlando Weeklys request for comment on this story.) The Naples think tank and its lobbying arm, the Opportunity Solutions Project is no stranger to child labor bills. Theyve directly lobbied Republicans in states like Arkansas, Missouri and Iowa to relax regulations on child labor law, explicitly framing it as an opportunity for businesses to address labor shortages.
At least 16 states, including Florida, have introduced legislation to roll back child labor regulations over the last two years, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Ever connected to the conservative billionaire class, Seeking Rents found that DeSantis has received over $2 million in campaign donations over the last five years from the FGAs largest funder, Richard "Dick" Uihlen, who contributed $1 million to DeSantis' presidential super-PAC in May. FGA policy memos sent to DeSantis staff beyond child labor rollbacks included proposals for fighting woke ideology and indoctrination in universities, as well as proposals that would allow the state to kick low-income people out of public housing after a certain period of time, and tighten eligibility requirements for people on food stamps. The group describes this as a way to break free from the shackles of government dependency.
The FGA's latest priority in Florida the child labor bill would go into effect July 1, 2024, if passed by the Republican-dominated state legislature.
Chaney, the House bill sponsor, has been relatively quiet about the bill since filing. She told the Orlando Sentinel in a statement last month that the bill intends to provide teenagers with the flexibility to work whatever hours they deem fits best with their schedule and financial goals.