Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1996 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1996 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representative Gramlich 5
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10	10	For An Act To Be Entitled 8
11	11	AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING LABOR; TO AMEND 9
12	12	THE CHILD LABOR LAWS ENACTED BY INITIATED ACT 1 OF 10
13	13	1914; TO ESTABLISH AN EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVE TO 11
14	14	CIVIL PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS RELATED TO 12
15	15	CHILD LABOR; TO CREATE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS RELATED 13
16	16	TO CHILD LABOR REQUIREMENTS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 14
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19	19	Subtitle 17
20	20	TO AMEND THE CHILD LABOR LAWS ENACTED BY 18
21	21	INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1914; TO ESTABLISH AN 19
22	22	EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVE TO CIVIL 20
23	23	PENALTIES FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS; AND TO 21
24	24	CREATE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS RELATED TO 22
25	25	CHILD LABOR. 23
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27	27	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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29	29	SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Legislative findings. 27
30	30	The General Assembly finds that: 28
31	31	(1) Part-time work by teenagers teaches important lessons in 29
32	32	personal finance, time management, and confidence and allows for important 30
33	33	networking and career exploration opportunities; 31
34	34	(2) However, the state has a responsibility to protect children 32
35	35	from hazardous work environments and ensure that employment opportunities do 33
36	36	not come at the expense of a teenager’s education; 34
37	37	(3) The Department of Labor and Licensing identified that, from 35
38	38	2020 to 2023, child labor violations increased by two hundred sixty -six 36 HB1996
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41	41	percent (266%) and financial penalties for child labor violations increased 1
42	42	by six hundred percent (600%) for the same time; 2
43	43	(4) When compared to surrounding states, Arkansas has some of 3
44	44	the highest numbers of child labor cases investigated and child labor 4
45	45	violations, as well as financial penalties assigned, according to data from 5
46	46	the United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division; and 6
47	47	(5) It is crucial for teenagers who are employed, as well as 7
48	48	employers and parents, to understand legal requirements and regulations as it 8
49	49	relates to allowable working hours and places of employment for children 9
50	50	under the age of sixteen (16). 10
51	51	11
52	52	SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 11 -6-103(a)(1), concerning the civil penalty 12
53	53	related to child labor violations as enacted by Initiated Act 1 of 1914, is 13
54	54	amended to read as follows: 14
55	55	(a)(1)(A) Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, association, 15
56	56	parent, guardian, or custodian who employs or permits or suffers any child to 16
57	57	be employed or to work in violation of this subchapter or §§ 11 -12-101 — 11-17
58	58	12-105, or any rules issued thereunder, shall be subject to a civil penalty 18
59	59	of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) and not more than five thousand 19
60	60	dollars ($5,000) for each violation. 20
61	61	(B) A civil penalty under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this 21
62	62	section may be waived for a first -time violation if the person, firm, 22
63	63	corporation, partnership, association, parent, guardian, or custodian subject 23
64	64	to the civil penalty completes an educational module developed by the 24
65	65	Department of Labor and Licensing under § 11 -6-117. 25
66	66	26
67	67	SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 11, Chapter 6, Subchapter 1, is amended 27
68	68	to add additional sections to read as follows: 28
69	69	11-6-117. Educational module related to child labor. 29
70	70	(a) The Department of Labor and Licensing shall develop an educational 30
71	71	module that shall be provided to a person, a firm, a corporation, a 31
72	72	partnership, an association, a parent, a guardian, or a custodian subject to 32
73	73	a first-time civil penalty under §11 -6-103(a)(1)(B). 33
74	74	(b) The educational module under subsection (a) of this section shall 34
75	75	include: 35
76	76	(1) The requirements and prohibitions of the Fair Labor 36 HB1996
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79	79	Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 201, et seq., as it existed on January 1, 1
80	80	2025, specific to the employment of children under sixteen (16) years of age; 2
81	81	(2) Regulations under 29 C.F.R. Part 570, as it existed on 3
82	82	January 1, 2025, specific to the employment of children under sixteen (16) 4
83	83	years of age; and 5
84	84	(3) All state laws and rules governing the employment of 6
85	85	children under sixteen (16) years of age. 7
86	86	8
87	87	11-6-118. Posting of educational signage. 9
88	88	(a) Each public school, open -enrollment public charter school, and 10
89	89	private school shall post in a conspicuous place near the entrance of the 11
90	90	establishment, or where posters and notices of this type customarily are 12
91	91	posted, a poster developed by the Department of Labor and Licensing in 13
92	92	collaboration with the Department of Education. 14
93	93	(b) The poster shall: 15
94	94	(1) Measure at least eight and one -half inches by eleven inches 16
95	95	(8 1/2" and 11") in size; 17
96	96	(2) Be in a youth-friendly format and utilize age -appropriate 18
97	97	language; 19
98	98	(3) Include the requirements and prohibitions of the Fair Labor 20
99	99	Standards Act of 1938, 29 U.S.C. § 201, et seq., as it existed on January 1, 21
100	100	2025, specific to the employment of children under the age of sixteen (16); 22
101	101	(4) Include regulations under 29 C.F.R. Part 570, as it existed 23
102	102	on January 1, 2025, specific to the employment of children under the age of 24
103	103	sixteen (16); and 25
104	104	(5) Provide information on all state laws and rules governing 26
105	105	the employment of children under the age of sixteen (16). 27
106	106	(c) The information required in subsection (b) of this section shall 28
107	107	be printed in English, Spanish, and any other language mandated by the Voting 29
108	108	Rights Act of 1965, 52 U.S.C. § 10503, as it existed on January 1, 2025, in 30
109	109	the county where the school is located. 31
110	110	(d) The poster required under this section shall be available on the 32
111	111	websites of the following: 33
112	112	(1) The Department of Labor and Licensing; and 34
113	113	(2) The Department of Education. 35
114	114	(e) To obtain a copy of the poster required under this section, the 36 HB1996
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117	117	administration of the public school, open -enrollment public charter school, 1
118	118	or private school shall: 2
119	119	(1) Print the poster from either of the websites listed under 3
120	120	subsection (c) of this section; or 4
121	121	(2) Request that the poster be mailed by the Department of Labor 5
122	122	and Licensing or the Department of Education for the cost of printing and 6
123	123	first-class postage. 7
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