Gov. Mike DeWine has legislation on his desk that should not be difficult to reject. State Senate Bill 50 would allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year.

According to a report by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the law would require permission from a parent or legal guardian and a work permit from a school, but it would allow students (some of whom could be in the eighth grade, based on their age) to work 18 hours a week or three hours a day during the school year, and 40 hours a week when school is not in session.

The most surface-level reason to reject the bill is that it is a violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. For good reason, the federal standard is for students in that age group to be prohibited from working before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

But there are better reasons. Imagine being 14 — perhaps having been at school by 7:15 a.m. — getting off the bus in the afternoon and deciding between hanging out with friends, doing your chores or a little homework, or taking a nap before going to your 6-9 p.m. shift; maybe getting back home and in bed by 10:30 or 11 p.m. … and then waking up the next morning to do it all again. There’s room for a weekend shift there, too.

Lawmakers didn’t even bother to hide their reason for wanting the change. They want to help fill the gaps in Ohio’s workforce.

Jared Weiser, Ohio state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, encouraged lawmakers by telling them 58% of Buckeye State small businesses are hiring, with 32% having openings that are difficult to fill, according to the Enquirer report.

“This legislation is a reasonable and practical solution to one small part of our workforce challenges,” Weiser reportedly testified.

How many business owners do you know who would want to hire a 14-year-old to handle a difficult-to-fill job until 9 p.m.?

“It’s never worth compromising kids’ education or safety to boost employer profits,” Heather Smith, a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, told the Enquirer. “Ohio lawmakers must not condone the commodification of children.”

It’s not OK, it borders on exploitative and, again, conflicts with federal law. DeWine should have no trouble understanding what he needs to do with this one.