Keith Truenow looks to strike redundancies in Florida’s day labor laws

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 1/5/23-Rep. Keith L. Truenow, R-Tavares, chairs the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Thursday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Florida could soon drop regulations about the use of day laborers.

Sen. Keith Truenow, a Tavares Republican, filed legislation (SB 1672) that would repeal Labor Pool Act provisions about day labor from Florida’s state statutes.

“We have an obligation to review laws on the books and eliminate waste when we identify it,” Truenow said.

In this case, the use of day laborers already is regulated by federal rules. The Department of Labor maintains regulations of wages, allowed hours, overtime pay and record-keeping for employers.

“Florida’s Labor Pool Act may be duplicative and unnecessary — day labor centers are already subject to extensive federal, state, and local regulations that ensure worker safety, fair wages, and employer accountability. Repealing this redundant law cuts bureaucratic red tape while keeping strong protections in place,” Truenow said.

State law defines day labor as “employment that is occasional or irregular for which the worker is employed for not longer than the time period required to complete the temporary assignment for which the individual worker was hired.”

Truenow’s bill drops mention of labor pool hires in state regulations about temporary work firms, and dumps day labor from statutory language on what defines temporary employees.

It also eliminates a large section of state law regarding leased employees.

Current law defines day laborers as those hired for completion of jobs from labor pools, and requires employees to be notified that the assignment of work ends with the start of a new business day. The change drops state requirements that employers notice these terms on paychecks at the end of jobs.

A House version (HB 6033) of Truenow’s legislation was filed by Rep. Shane Abbott, a DeFuniak Springs Republican. Abbott owns a pharmacy in North Florida, The Prescription Place. Truenow founded Lake Jem Farms in Lake County. So both lawmakers have experience with hiring labor.