COLUMBUS, Ohio — An effort to expand the hours 14- and 15-year-old employees in Ohio can work was stymied Wednesday after Republican Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a bill passed with overwhelming GOP support.

Had DeWine signed Senate Bill 50 into law, it would have changed the state’s child labor laws to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. year-round, with their parents’ consent. Currently, they’re restricted both by state and federal law from working later than 7 p.m. during the school year.

In a message explaining his veto decision, DeWine said the change would cut down on students’ study time, and that he sees “no compelling reason to deviate from current law.”

“The bill would, for the first time, allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work up to 9 pm on SCHOOL NIGHTS,” DeWine wrote, wit

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