As school lets out and teens are on the hunt for summer jobs, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would permanently increase the number of hours teens are allowed to work in New Jersey.
The measure, A4222, was passed unanimously in the state Assembly Labor Committee in Trenton on Thursday after members heard testimony by employers and parents who supported the measure. A companion bill in the state Senate is awaiting a committee hearing.
The legislation would permit teens who are 16 and 17 to work up to 50 hours per week during the summer, up from 40 hours. It also clarifies the hours of the day that 14- and 15-year-olds, who can work up to 40 hours a week during the summer, are permitted to work.
It would make permanent the expansion of hours that was initially instituted for the summer of 2021 as employers struggled to find enough seasonal workers, a difficulty that continues today.
Citing the ongoing challenge in finding seasonal workers, New Jersey Business and Industry Association vice president of governmental affairs Christopher Emigholz called the bill “one of the most impactful initiatives you can pursue to address the current workforce crisis, especially for our hospitality and retail businesses that get busier in the summer.”
Seasonal employers including Six Flags Great Adventure and Morey’s Piers testified, as did representatives from business associations, all saying the bill would help employers boost their staffing levels
“The urgency to at least get the expanded hours for this summer would be tremendous for us,” said Amanda Stone of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association.
The bill would also make the process of getting working papers easier for teens, parents and employers.
Instead of the current process that involves papers that have to be signed by the parent, the employer, the teen’s school and their doctors every year or with every job change, it would create an online portal within the Department of Labor that would only require a one-time registration.
Amy Wagner, a parent of two children, 19 and 15, called the current paper process cumbersome.
“It is a bit like a scavenger hunt to complete the papers for the kids and their parents,” she said. “It’s time to update these procedures for the 21st Century to leverage modern day tools like email and the internet.”
Assemblyman Joseph Egan, D-Middlesex, the committee chairman, said he hopes the bill will be passed “in a timely fashion, like in the next couple of days, if that’s possible.”
The measure would need to be passed by the full state Senate and Assembly before the governor could decide whether to sign it into law.
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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KP***********@NJ************.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KPMueller.
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