PRINTER'S NO. 1589

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 1439 Session of 1993


        INTRODUCED BY COWELL, ROBINSON, BATTISTO, HALUSKA, SCHULER,
           MUNDY, STISH, COLAIZZO, MELIO, BLAUM, CAPPABIANCA, KUKOVICH,
           SCRIMENTI, MAYERNIK, GIGLIOTTI, LEVDANSKY, NYCE, FAJT,
           MIHALICH, PISTELLA, TRELLO, CLARK, MICHLOVIC, JOSEPHS,
           LAUGHLIN, STEELMAN, DeLUCA, ROONEY, BELARDI AND ROEBUCK,
           APRIL 27, 1993

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 27, 1993

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of May 13, 1915 (P.L.286, No.177), entitled, as
     2     amended, "An act to provide for the health, safety, and
     3     welfare of minors: By forbidding their employment or work in
     4     certain establishments and occupations, and under certain
     5     specified ages; by restricting their hours of labor, and
     6     regulating certain conditions of their employment; by
     7     requiring employment certificates or transferable work
     8     permits for certain minors, and prescribing the kinds
     9     thereof, and the rules for the issuance, reissuance, filing,
    10     return, and recording of the same; by providing that the
    11     Industrial Board shall, under certain conditions, determine
    12     and declare whether certain occupations are within the
    13     prohibitions of this act; requiring certain abstracts and
    14     notices to be posted; providing for the enforcement of this
    15     act by the Secretary of Labor and Industry, the
    16     representative of school districts, and police officers; and
    17     defining the procedure in prosecutions thereunder, and
    18     establishing certain presumptions in relation thereto;
    19     providing for the issuance of special permits for minors
    20     engaging in the entertainment and related fields; providing
    21     penalties for the violation of the provisions thereof; and
    22     repealing all acts or parts of acts inconsistent therewith,"
    23     further providing for the minimum age of employment, hours of
    24     employment and employment certificates for minors.

    25     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    26  hereby enacts as follows:
    27     Section 1.  Section 2 of the act of May 13, 1915 (P.L.286,

     1  No.177), known as the Child Labor Law, amended October 4, 1978
     2  (P.L.938, No.182), is amended to read:
     3     Section 2.  No minor under [sixteen] fourteen years of age
     4  shall be employed or permitted to work in, about, or in
     5  connection with, any establishment or in any occupation except
     6  that a minor between the ages of twelve and fourteen years may
     7  be employed as a caddy. A minor between the ages of twelve and
     8  fourteen may be employed as a caddy subject to the limitation
     9  that he or she carry not more than one golf bag at a time and
    10  for not more than eighteen holes of golf in any one day [and
    11  except that a]. A minor between the ages of fourteen and sixteen
    12  years may be employed as hereinafter provided in such work as
    13  will not interfere with school attendance or be detrimental to
    14  the student's grades and academic progress as determined by the
    15  school superintendent: Provided, however, That nothing contained
    16  in this section shall be construed as superseding or modifying
    17  any provisions contained in section seven of the act to which
    18  this is an amendment.
    19     Section 2.  Section 4 of the act, amended October 4, 1989
    20  (P.L.584, No.62), is amended to read:
    21     Section 4.  (a)  No minor under eighteen years of age shall
    22  be employed or permitted to work in, about, or in connection
    23  with any establishment, or in any occupation, for more than six
    24  consecutive days in any one week, or more than forty-four hours
    25  in any one week, or more than eight hours in any one day:
    26  Provided, [That messengers employed by telegraph companies at
    27  offices where only one such minor is employed as a messenger in
    28  which case such minor shall not be employed for more than six
    29  consecutive days in any one week, or more than fifty-one hours
    30  in any one week, or more than nine hours in any one day: And
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     1  provided further,] That no minor under eighteen years of age,
     2  who is enrolled in regular day school and working outside school
     3  hours, shall be employed or permitted to work for more than
     4  twenty-eight hours during a school week. A school week is any
     5  week in which school is held on any day and extends from Monday
     6  through the following Sunday.
     7     (b)  No minor under sixteen years of age shall be employed or
     8  permitted to work in, about, or in connection with, any
     9  establishment or in any occupation before seven o'clock in the
    10  morning or after seven o'clock in the evening of any day except
    11  during school summer vacation period from June to Labor Day when
    12  such minor may work between the hours of seven o'clock in the
    13  morning and ten o'clock in the evening nor shall such a minor
    14  who is enrolled in school and working outside school hours be
    15  employed or permitted to work in, about, or in connection with,
    16  any establishment or in any occupation more than [four] three
    17  hours on a school day, or more than eight hours on any other
    18  day, or more than eighteen hours during a school week: Provided,
    19  That, students fourteen years of age and over whose employment
    20  is part of a recognized school-work program, supervised by a
    21  recognized school authority, may be employed for hours which,
    22  combined with the hours spent in school, do not exceed eight a
    23  day: And further provided, That minors over the age of fourteen
    24  may be employed in the distribution, sale, exposing or offering
    25  for sale, of any newspaper, magazine, periodical or other
    26  publication for not more than [fifty-one] forty-four hours in
    27  any one week, or more than [nine] eight hours in any one day,
    28  and after six o'clock in the morning and before eight o'clock in
    29  the evening: And further provided, That a minor under sixteen
    30  years of age employed on a farm by a person other than the
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     1  farmer in the hatching, raising or harvesting of poultry may be
     2  employed or permitted to work until 10 o'clock in the evening as
     3  long as the minor is not working in an agricultural occupation
     4  declared hazardous by the United States Secretary of Labor.
     5     (c)  No minor under eighteen years of age shall be employed
     6  or permitted to work for more than five hours continuously in,
     7  about, or in connection with, any establishment without an
     8  interval of at least thirty minutes for a lunch period and no
     9  period of less than thirty minutes shall be deemed to interrupt
    10  a continuous period of work.
    11     (d)  No minor under eighteen years of age shall be employed
    12  or permitted to work in, about, or in connection with, any
    13  establishment between the hours of [twelve] ten in the evening
    14  and six in the morning if such minor is enrolled in regular day
    15  school: Provided, That, minors sixteen and seventeen years of
    16  age may be employed until, but not after, [one o'clock in the
    17  morning] eleven o'clock in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays,
    18  and on days preceding a school vacation occurring during the
    19  school year, excepting the last day of such vacation period: And
    20  further provided, That minors sixteen and seventeen years of age
    21  who are employed on a family farm may be employed with no
    22  restriction as to hours during the school week: And further
    23  provided, That minors sixteen and seventeen years of age who are
    24  employed in a business owned or operated by their family with
    25  ten or fewer employes may be employed with no restriction as to
    26  hours during the school week.
    27     (e)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a
    28  minor who is sixteen or seventeen years of age who is employed
    29  during the months of June, July, August or September by a summer
    30  resident camp or a conference or retreat operated by a religious
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     1  or scout organization shall receive one day of rest (twenty-four
     2  consecutive hours of rest) during every seven-day period:
     3  Provided, That this paragraph shall not apply to a minor
     4  employed primarily for general maintenance work or food service
     5  activities.
     6     Section 3.  Section 7.2 of the act, added April 25, 1968
     7  (P.L.99, No.49), is amended to read:
     8     Section 7.2.  Any minor of the age of seventeen years who is
     9  a high school graduate or who is declared [to have attained his
    10  academic potential by the chief administrator of the school
    11  district wherein he resides] legally excused from school shall,
    12  for the purposes of this act, be deemed to be a minor of the age
    13  of eighteen years.
    14     Section 4.  Section 9 of the act, amended December 21, 1988
    15  (P.L.1908, No.192), is amended to read:
    16     Section 9.  Employment certificates shall be issued [only by
    17  the following officials,] for [children] minors residing within
    18  their respective public school districts[: In public school
    19  districts having a district superintendent or supervising
    20  principal, by such superintendent or supervising principal; in
    21  school districts having no district superintendent or
    22  supervising principal, by the secretary of the board of school
    23  directors of that district] by the public school district
    24  superintendent: Provided, That any district superintendent[,
    25  supervising principal, or secretary of the board of school
    26  directors, hereby authorized to issue such certificates or
    27  transferable work permits,] may authorize and deputize, in
    28  writing, any other school official to act in his stead for the
    29  purpose of issuing such certificates, and further, the
    30  superintendent or designated work permit issuing officer may
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     1  deny employment certificates to minors with poor academic
     2  standings and rescind issued employment certificates wherein
     3  employment appears to be a detriment to academic progress as
     4  determined by the superintendent or designated employment
     5  certificate issuing officer. Each school district will devise a
     6  process of appeal for employment certificate denials and
     7  nullifications.
     8     Section 5.  Section 21 of the act, amended September 27, 1984
     9  (P.L.714, No.152), is amended to read:
    10     Section 21.  It shall be the duty of every person who shall
    11  employ any minor, under the age of eighteen years, to post and
    12  keep posted, in a conspicuous place in every establishment
    13  wherein said minor is employed[,] or permitted [or suffered] to
    14  work, a printed abstract of the sections of this act relating to
    15  the hours of labor[, and a list or lists of all minors employed
    16  under the age of eighteen years and a schedule of the hours of
    17  labor of such minors] and prohibited occupations. [The schedule
    18  of] A written record of the hours of labor herein required shall
    19  contain the name of the minor employed or permitted to work, the
    20  maximum number of hours such minor shall be required or
    21  permitted to work on each day of the week with the total for the
    22  week, the hours for commencing and stopping work, and the hours
    23  when the time allowed for meals shall begin and end for each day
    24  of the week. [Such minor may begin work after the time for
    25  beginning and stop before the time for ending work stated in
    26  such schedule, but he shall not otherwise be employed or
    27  permitted to work in or in connection with any establishment
    28  except as stated in such schedule: Provided, however, That in
    29  the case of messengers employed by telegraph companies, such
    30  schedule may be varied in accordance with business on hand so
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     1  long as a minor is not employed a greater number of hours per
     2  day or per week than permitted by this act.] Such copies of the
     3  abstracts of this act [and blanks for compliance with its
     4  provisions] shall be prepared by the Department of Labor and
     5  Industry, and be furnished [by it on application of such
     6  employer] upon request. Every person employing minors under
     7  eighteen years of age shall furnish the employment certificates
     8  or transferable work permits and lists provided for in this act,
     9  for inspection, to attendance officers, [factory inspectors,] or
    10  other authorized inspectors or officers charged with the
    11  enforcement of this act.
    12     Section 6.  Section 24 of the act, amended August 23, 1961
    13  (P.L.1107, No.494), is amended to read:
    14     Section 24.  It shall be the duty of the Secretary of Labor
    15  and Industry, the chief school administrators, home and school
    16  visitors, attendance officers, and secretaries of boards of
    17  school directors of the various school districts or joint school
    18  systems, and the police of the various cities, boroughs, and
    19  townships of this Commonwealth, to enforce the provisions of
    20  this act. Prosecutions for violations of this act may be
    21  instituted by any duly authorized representative of the
    22  Department of Labor and Industry, chief school administrator,
    23  home school visitor, attendance officer, secretary of a board of
    24  school directors, or police officer, upon oath or affirmation.
    25  All prosecutions for violations of this act shall be in the form
    26  of summary criminal proceedings, instituted before a magistrate,
    27  alderman, or justice of the peace within the county wherein the
    28  offense was committed. Upon conviction, after a hearing, the
    29  sentences provided in this act shall be imposed. All fines
    30  collected under this act shall be paid into the State Treasury,
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     1  for the use of the Commonwealth. The Secretary of Education
     2  shall develop standards by which the provisions of this act are
     3  implemented for children of school age to insure that employment
     4  is not detrimental to the student's grades, academic progress,
     5  attendance or remaining in school. The standards shall provide
     6  for the voiding of work permits, transferable work permits or
     7  special permits when the chief school officer believes these are
     8  warranted.
     9     Section 7.  This act shall take effect immediately.














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