HB 1726 — An Act amending the the act of October 24, 2012 (P.L.1209, No.151), known as the Child Labor Act, further providing for definitions, for occupations and establishments, for employment of minors in a performance and for duties of employer; repealing provisions relating to work permit; and further providing for administration and for newspaper delivery.

PRINTER'S NO.   2126

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1726
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY MOUL, BERNSTINE, STENDER, M. JONES, T. JONES,
        COOK, SMITH, STAATS, ANDERSON, E. NELSON, ZIMMERMAN, ROWE,
        JAMES AND GILLEN, JULY 11, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY, JULY 14, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of October 24, 2012 (P.L.1209, No.151),
 2      entitled "An act regulating child labor; conferring powers
 3      and duties on the Department of Labor and Industry and the
 4      Department of Education; imposing penalties; and making a
 5      repeal," further providing for definitions, for occupations
 6      and establishments, for employment of minors in a performance
 7      and for duties of employer; repealing provisions relating to
 8      work permit; and further providing for administration and for
 9      newspaper delivery.
10      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11   hereby enacts as follows:
12      Section 1.    The definition of "work permit" in section 2 of
13   the act of October 24, 2012 (P.L.1209, No.151), known as the
14   Child Labor Act, is amended to read:
15   Section 2.   Definitions.
16      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
17   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
18   context clearly indicates otherwise:
19      * * *
20      ["Work permit."    A transferable work permit allowing
21   employment of a minor.]
 1      * * *
 2      Section 2.         Sections 4(d)(3), 5(c)(5) and 8(a), (b) and (d)
 3   (3) of the act are amended to read:
 4   Section 4.      Occupations and establishments.
 5      * * *
 6      (d)   Occupations for minors less than 14 years of age.--An
 7   individual less than 14 years of age may be employed as follows:
 8            * * *
 9            (3)    An individual who is at least 12 years of age may be
10      employed as a youth sports official [and shall not be
11      required to procure a work permit]. Youth sports officials
12      who are 12 and 13 years of age shall be subject to the same
13      limitations established in section 3 for individuals who are
14      14 and 15 years of age.
15   Section 5.      Employment of minors in a performance.
16      * * *
17      (c)   Entertainment permits.--The following shall apply:
18            * * *
19            [(5)    The work permit requirements of section 9 do not
20      apply to the issuance of permits under this section.]
21            * * *
22   Section 8.      Duties of employer.
23      (a)   [Work permits and parental] Parental authorization.--
24            (1)    Unless a minor has the items listed in paragraph
25      (2), a minor may not be employed or permitted to work:
26                   (i)    in, about or in connection with an
27            establishment; or
28                   (ii)    in an occupation.
29            (2)    To be employed, a minor under 16 years of age must
30      have [all of the following:

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 1                   (i)    A work permit.
 2                   (ii)    For individuals who are under 16 years of age,]
 3            a written statement by the minor's parent or legal
 4            guardian acknowledging understanding of the duties and
 5            hours of employment and granting permission to work
 6            subject to the provisions of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating
 7            to unsworn falsification to authorities).
 8            (3)    Before employing a minor, an employer shall [do all
 9      of the following:
10                   (i)    Verify the work permit under paragraph (2)(i).
11                   (ii)    Receive the verified statement under paragraph
12            (2)(ii).] receive the verified statement under paragraph
13            (2).
14            [(4)    An individual who is more than 16 years of age
15      employed in the distribution, sale, exposing or offering for
16      sale of any newspaper, or any minor who can demonstrate that
17      he is working independently of the newspaper publisher in
18      this work, shall not be required to procure a work permit.
19      (b)   Notification.--The employer shall notify the issuing
20   officer in writing of the employment of a minor and shall detail
21   the normal duties and hours of employment within five days after
22   the beginning of employment and shall include the age and permit
23   number of the minor. On termination of employment of a minor,
24   the employer shall notify the issuing officer within five days
25   of the final day of employment that the minor no longer is
26   employed by the employer.]
27      * * *
28      (d)   Records.--An employer shall maintain the following
29   records at the workplace:
30            * * *

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 1            (3)   For each minor, the employer shall keep a copy of
 2      [the work permit,] the original verified permission statement
 3      required in subsection (a) [and a copy of the letter sent to
 4      the issuing officer announcing the employment of the minor].
 5            * * *
 6      Section 3.        Section 9 of the act is repealed:
 7   [Section 9.      Work permit.
 8      (a)   Form and content.--
 9            (1)   A work permit shall be issued on a wallet-sized form
10      prescribed by the department. The work permit shall contain
11      the following information related to the minor:
12                  (i)    Name.
13                  (ii)    Sex.
14                  (iii)    Date and place of birth.
15                  (iv)    Place of residence.
16                  (v)    Color of hair and eyes.
17                  (vi)    Any physical work restrictions.
18            (2)   The work permit shall certify that:
19                  (i)    the holder has personally appeared before the
20            issuing officer and has been examined;
21                  (ii)    all papers required by law have been examined,
22            approved and filed; and
23                  (iii)    all conditions and requirements for issuing a
24            permit have been fulfilled.
25            (3)   The work permit shall be signed by the minor.
26            (4)   The work permit shall bear a number, the date of
27      issuance and the signature of the issuing officer.
28      (b)   Application.--
29            (1)   Documentation shall be as follows:
30                  (i)    Except as set forth under subparagraph (ii), the

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 1        application for a work permit must be verified as
 2        follows:
 3                    (A)   The applicant's parent or legal guardian
 4             must sign the application.
 5                    (B)   In lieu of a signature under clause (A), the
 6             applicant may execute a statement before a notary
 7             public or other person authorized to administer oaths
 8             attesting to the accuracy of the facts set forth in
 9             the application on a form prescribed by the
10             department. The statement shall be attached to the
11             application.
12             (ii)    Subparagraph (i) does not apply if the
13        applicant can demonstrate official proof of high school
14        graduation.
15             (iii)    The issuing officer shall not issue a work
16        permit until the issuing officer has received, examined,
17        approved and filed the following papers which verify the
18        applicant's age:
19                    (A)   If proof of age is an official document or
20             record of the Commonwealth or government of another
21             state or governmental subdivision of another state,
22             it need not be filed if the issuing officer records
23             the information necessary to enable the document or
24             record to be located at the place where it is filed.
25             If proof of age is other than an official document or
26             record of the Commonwealth or government of another
27             state or governmental subdivision of another state,
28             the following is the order of preference for
29             acceptable proof under this clause:
30                          (I)   An attested transcript of the birth

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 1                  certificate, filed according to law with a
 2                  register of vital statistics or other officer
 3                  charged with the duty of recording births.
 4                        (II)    A certified baptismal certificate or
 5                  transcript of the record of baptism showing the
 6                  date of birth.
 7                        (III)    A passport showing the age of the
 8                  minor.
 9                        (IV)    Any certified documentary record of age
10                  other than a school record or an affidavit of
11                  age, which appears to the satisfaction of the
12                  issuing officer to be sufficient evidence of age.
13                        (V)    The signed statement of a physician,
14                  physician's assistant or nurse practitioner,
15                  approved by the board of school directors,
16                  stating that, after examination, it is the
17                  opinion of the individual signing the statement
18                  that the applicant has attained the age required
19                  by law for the occupation in which the applicant
20                  expects to engage. The statement must be
21                  accompanied by an affidavit signed by the
22                  applicant's parent or legal guardian or, if there
23                  is no parent or legal guardian, by the
24                  applicant's next friend and certifying to the
25                  name, date and place of birth of the applicant
26                  and that the individual signing the statement is
27                  unable to produce any of the proofs of age
28                  specified in subclauses (I), (II), (III) and
29                  (IV).
30                  (B)   (Reserved).

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 1             (2)   Examination shall be as follows:
 2                   (i)    Except as set forth under subparagraphs (ii) and
 3             (iii), a work permit shall not be issued until the
 4             applicant has personally appeared before and has been
 5             examined by the issuing officer.
 6                   (ii)    Subparagraph (i) does not apply if the
 7             applicant can demonstrate official proof of high school
 8             graduation.
 9                   (iii)    The issuing officer may allow the applicant to
10             appear by video conference or other electronic means, in
11             lieu of requiring the physical presence of the applicant.
12      (c)    Issuance.--If all application requirements are met, a
13   work permit shall be issued by an issuing officer unless it is
14   the issuing officer's judgment that the applicant cannot
15   maintain adequate academic achievement if permitted to work
16   during the school year.
17      (d)    Revocation.--An issuing officer may revoke a work permit
18   if it is the issuing officer's judgment that the applicant
19   cannot maintain adequate academic achievement if permitted to
20   work during the school year.
21      (e)    Cooperation.--The issuing officer shall cooperate with
22   an enforcement officer with investigation and enforcement of
23   this act.]
24      Section 4.         Sections 10(d) and (e) and 14(c) of the act are
25   amended to read:
26   Section 10.      Administration.
27      * * *
28      [(d)    Duties of school districts.--School districts shall
29   administer applications and issuance of work permits under
30   section 9 and shall notify the department of alleged violations

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 1   of this act.]
 2      (e)    Suspected violations of age requirements.--
 3             (1)   If an enforcement officer has reason to believe that
 4      an individual [working without a work permit is a minor or
 5      that a minor with a work permit] is working in violation of
 6      the age restrictions set forth under this act, the officer
 7      may demand that the person employing the individual within
 8      ten days:
 9                   (i)    furnish to the officer proof of age; or
10                   (ii)    cease to employ or permit the individual to
11             work.
12             (2)   Proof of a demand under paragraph (1) and of failure
13      to comply with paragraph (1)(i) constitutes prima facie
14      evidence of the illegal employment of a minor.
15             (3)   Compliance with this subsection does not relieve a
16      person from liability under section 11.
17   Section 14.       Newspaper delivery.
18      * * *
19      [(c)    Work permit.--An individual who is more than 16 years
20   of age employed in the distribution, sale, offering for sale of
21   any newspaper, or any minor who can demonstrate that he is
22   working independently of the newspaper publisher, shall not be
23   required to procure a work permit.]
24      Section 5.         This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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