OHIO — Gian Ramos and his father used to work side by side when he was a child.

He said he worked only during the summer, when he was not in school, and that it is why he gained experience and built a work ethic from early on.

While it came with its challenges, Ramos said he wouldn’t change that experience for anything in the world because it made him who he is today.

“My first memories were when I was 12, I was working for my dad, he was doing houses and I was doing minor house repairs,” Ramos said. “Well, I was a kid, so I wasn’t. I don’t think I was getting paid, but the hours weren’t much. It was probably like maybe three or four hours.”

Gian Ramos and his father hanging out. (Gian Ramos)

Current state law says minors between the ages of 14 and 17 can work with a permit during the school year and 14- and 15-year-olds can’t work past 7 p.m. or work more than three hours on any school day.

But some Democrats in the Ohio state house are now working on adding to those child labor laws for minors who aren’t like Ramos, and who must work officially for employers.

Erika White, D- Springfield Twp., said it’s because Republicans in the Ohio Senate proposed a bill to extend how late teens would be allowed to work year round.

House Representatives Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown), alongside Rep. White and several other Democrats are sponsoring the "Enact the Clock Out Kids Act," that would add more enforcement when it comes to child labor laws, for example, if a child is falling asleep during class. 

"Parents trust teachers to know what’s going on with their kids, they’re going to report that and that’s what we’re asking to happen,” White said. “That teachers report that and that there’s some enforcement done after that is reported.”

On the Senate side, State Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, is sponsoring Senate Bill 50 that would allow teens to work a bit later than what state law currently permits.

In Ohio right now, minors can work until 7 p.m. but Sen. Schaffer’s bill would extend that to 9 p.m.

“Senate Bill 50 is really just to help families and retailers and restaurants manage the shortage of employees supply that’s going on right now in our country as well as give kids the wonderful lessons of what great work values and what a great work ethic is all about,” Schaffer said. “It doesn’t add any hours to the workweek, it doesn’t add any hours to the workday, it just gives that flexibility for those kids to be able to work a different set of hours but never past 9 p.m.”

White said Senate Bill 50 is the reason Democrats are trying to strengthen child labor laws.

While Schaffer said he trusts current labor laws to protect kids in the workplace, White said those kids often work in dangerous environments such as in construction.

“We have very strong labor laws to protect our kids and our minors in the workplace,” Schaffer said.

“The problem is children are being taken advantage of, and they don’t know they can say ‘no’,” White said.

The "Enact Clock Out Kids Act" would need Republican support to move forward. House speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said it might not find the support it needs because of federal labor child laws in place.

Both Democrats and Republicans said they’re working for the sake of children.

But Ramos said to him what matters on top of all the laws is the memories you build by working and what he can remember now alongside his father.

“I think overall it was good for growing up. We definitely bonded,” Ramos said.