Substitute Senate Bill No. 410 modifies Section 31-23 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes, with an effective date of October 1, 2024, to establish paid internships for high school students aged fourteen and sixteen. The bill allows these minors to be employed under certain conditions, such as being enrolled in a work-study program or participating in a paid internship or summer work-recreation program approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner. The bill includes insertions that define paid internships, outline the approval process, and set conditions for employment, including a maximum of 120 hours during the school year and the requirement for minors to be compensated at the current minimum fair wage. It also requires employers to obtain and keep on file a certificate stating the minor's age and prohibits employment in hazardous occupations, with certain exceptions.

The bill further amends the minimum fair wage laws, scheduling increases up to fifteen dollars per hour by June 1, 2023, and subsequent annual adjustments based on the employment cost index. Minors under eighteen, except those in approved paid internships, will earn at least eighty-five percent of the minimum fair wage for the first ninety days of employment, with some exceptions. The Labor Commissioner is given the authority to recommend the suspension of minimum wage increases in case of negative economic growth. The bill also includes provisions that retroactively deem certain minors employed as baggers, cashiers, or stock clerks since October 1, 2007, to have been lawfully employed, protecting employers from penalties under specific sections. The fiscal impact of the bill will depend on the number of participating students and the cost to the Department of Labor for issuing certificates.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 31-23a, 31-24
LAB Joint Favorable Substitute: 31-23a, 31-24, 31-58
File No. 353: 31-23a, 31-24, 31-58