In 2022, Nebraska voters approved Initiative 433 which stated that the minimum wage in Nebraska would increase to $15.00 per hour for all workers. As a teenager who gets limited hours each week, I was over the moon.

Now imagine my–and every other high schooler for that matter–surprise when I found out that the Nebraska Legislature had passed LB 258 and Governor Jim Pillen signed it on Feb. 10. This bill alters Initiative 433 and states that employers of teens ranging from 14-15 years old have the option to lower their wage to $13.50. Furthermore, employees ranging from 16-19 years old can be paid $13.50 during a 90 day training period. While I am 16 and no longer fall into the $13.50 minimum wage bracket, it’s unfair to pay younger teens less money simply because they are young.

At this phase of life, there is financial pressure placed on teenagers that they’ve yet to experience. Beginning to learn how to drive brings on the stress of saving for a car and the things that come with it. Gas, insurance, oil changes, repairing normal wear and tear, are all costly, especially in the 2026 economy. The race to save for college is another major stresser. Throughout teens’ entire high school career they are reminded that college is no joke and the route you take will determine the rest of your life. The money that goes into tuition, on campus living (which is required for freshmen at many universities), books, and student loans is more than I can even picture in my head.

Costs are most likely not lowering anytime soon and everything is becoming far more expensive. It’s cruel to pay teens less money for doing the same job as fully developed adults when their future depends on these crucial years. With school taking up 8 hours of students’ daily lives, there is less time to work. Each week I work around 10 hours while my older coworkers work 40 hours or more. So not only are teens making less money, they also don’t have the opportunity to work more hours. Add in school work and extracurricular activities and it gets even muddier.

The state passed this bill on a foundation of disrespect. They perceive teenagers as unprofessional, irresponsible, and immature. Do some teens fall under these assumptions? Sure, but it is entirely unfair to place that bias on every teen in the state. Teenagers deserve equal respect from adults and vice versa. While I will admit, I could see their argument: most teenagers don’t have bills to pay or children to feed, but if they’re increasing the minimum wage for all adults, then the teenagers working the same jobs should be paid the same.