Act No. 2024 – 352
By Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur and Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Birmingham
As of June 1, an eligibility to work form is no longer required for each 14- and 15-year-old employed, under Act. No. 2024-352.
Previously, an eligibility to work form had to be signed by a school official before a 14- or 15-year-old could be hired, and the form had to be kept on file by the employer. Under this act, the form is eliminated but employers must maintain a complete list of all 14- and 15-year-olds employed. Requirements for a child labor certificate and posting the state’s child labor laws in the workplace remain. Child labor certificates limit the amount of time school-age children can work and prohibit work in certain fields.
The Alabama House approved the legislation May 7. Later in the same day, the Senate concurred. The governor signed the legislation into law May 15.
Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Birmingham, the House sponsor, said the act “eliminates a barrier to work and allows parents to make the decision” about whether their teenager can work. It makes it the responsibility of a parent or guardian to notify the school of the “name, address and telephone number of the person, entity, franchise, corporation, or division of a corporation” employing a 14- or 15-year-old. Parents “don’t have to get permission from the school, but they do have to report to the school that the child is working,” Dubose said.
The law continues to call on school administrators to notify the Alabama Department of Labor if employed 14- and 15-year-olds are truant or if their grades suffer. Once notified the department can revoke or suspend the employment.
Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the Senate sponsor, said the act “doesn’t change labor laws” in regard to who can hire and the hours minors can be hired.
>> Learn more about teen hiring
RELATED ISSUE: Increased civil and criminal penalties for violating child labor law effective Oct. 1
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