Substitute Senate Bill No. 410 aims to amend Section 31-23 of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes, with an effective date of October 1, 2024, to expand employment opportunities for minors, particularly high school students, by allowing them to engage in paid internships. The bill allows minors aged 14-16 to be employed in work-study programs or paid internships approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner. It specifies that 15-year-olds can work up to 120 hours during the school year, including during school hours with approval, and must be paid at least the current minimum fair wage. Employers are required to obtain and keep on file a certificate stating the minor's age for inspection by the Labor Department. The bill also permits 14-year-olds to work as caddies or in pro shops at golf courses, and 15-year-olds to work at youth camps or as lifeguards, with restrictions on hours and supervision. It prohibits minors under 18 from working in hazardous occupations, with certain exceptions, and includes insertions to allow paid internships and a deletion to replace "provided" with "except" in the context of authorizing employment for minors.

The bill also addresses the minimum fair wage, scheduling increases to $15 per hour by June 1, 2023, and subsequent annual adjustments based on the employment cost index. Minors under 18, except for emancipated minors and those in approved paid internships, will earn at least 85% of the minimum fair wage for the first 90 days of employment, with exceptions. The Labor Commissioner is responsible for recommending to the Governor whether to suspend scheduled minimum wage increases in case of negative economic growth. The bill legalizes the past employment of minors as baggers, cashiers, or stock clerks from age 15, provided it complied with certain provisions, and protects employers from penalties related to those employments. The fiscal impact of the bill will depend on the number of participating minors, with potential costs to the Department of Labor for issuing certificates to employers.

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