Update July 6 2022: Governor Murphy has signed this action and the following will go into law immediately:
Effective immediately : This new law to help fill key jobs. The measure allows 16- to 18-year-olds to work up to 50 hours a week during the summer and allows 14- to 16-year-olds to work up to 40 hours a week.
We have been working with statewide organizations to advance this bill that will be crucial to summer employment. The A-4222/S2796 – Expanding summer working hours for minors as well as removes school districts from issuing working papers, establishing a centralized data base within the Department of Labor.
The bill’s provisions include:
- Permanently expanding the work week for 16- and 17-year-olds from 40 to 50 hours
- Allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to work up to 10 hours per day in the summer instead of up to 8 hours per day
- Adding more flexibility to break requirements
- Allowing a one-time parent opt-out from working late summer hours
- Making some of these requirements take effect immediately
The bill also replaces a cumbersome and antiquated working paper process per job with a one-time, online authorization system that is easier for minors and employers to navigate.
It removes school and doctor permission requirements, as New Jersey is the only state that requires both. It also creates an advisory council with parents and employers to oversee the new process.
As of June 29, the bill was amended in the senate, please see below:
S2796 COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amended the bill to:
(1) require a minor to update the minor’s registration for any change in employer;
(2) require the employer to update the employer’s registration for any change in a minor’s position with the employer;
(3) delay the effective date until June 1, 2023 for all provisions of the bill except as to subsection b. of section 3 and as to section 4 of the bill, which remain as taking effect immediately;
(4) requiring the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to consult with the Department of Education in the implementation of rules and regulations for the provisions of the bill;
(5) change “parent or legal guardian” to “caregiver” and provide a definition for caregiver;
(6) require the minor’s caregiver to authorize the minor’s registration to work through the registration system; and
(7) add an appropriation to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to effectuate the purposes of the bill.
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