Madison- Today, Governor Evers vetoed Senate Bill 332 (SB 332) authored by Sen. Mary Felzkowski and Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton). SB 332 would have extended the allowable work hours for 14 and 15 year olds to between 6:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on a day preceding a school day, and between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. on a day preceding a non-school day, as long as the employer and employee are not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

“I’m really disappointed in the Governor’s action on Senate Bill 332. This bill was intended to help our smallest, local mom and pop businesses to ensure they’re able to remain operational for a couple of additional hours if they employ younger teens,” said Loudenbeck. “Governor Evers should have taken the time to talk to these small businesses to hear about this issue directly instead of simply vetoing it.”

Senator Felzkowski added: “Not only would this bill have gone a long ways towards assisting many of the small businesses throughout the state, but it would have opened up more opportunities for these teens. Extending the potential hours of work for these young employees would have given them a greater head start in earning money for the future, and a better chance to develop a strong work ethic. It’s incredibly unfortunate that Governor Evers did not consider the positive effect this would have had for both our small businesses, and the 14 and 15 year olds they hire.”

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