86R10747 JSC-D
By: Bowers H.B. No. 1855
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to restrictions on hours of employment for children;
creating criminal offenses.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.013, Labor Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a), (b), and (c) and adding Subsections (a-1)
and (b-1) to read as follows:
(a) A person commits an offense if the person permits a
child who is 14 or 15 years of age and who is employed by the person
to work more than:
(1) eight hours in one day; [or]
(2) 48 hours in one week; or
(3) five days in one week.
(a-1) A person commits an offense if the person permits a
child who is 16 years of age and who is employed by the person to
work more than:
(1) 10 hours in one day;
(2) 54 hours in one week; or
(3) six days in one week.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person permits a
child who is 14 or 15 years of age, is employed by the person, and is
enrolled in a term of a public or private school to work:
(1) between the hours of 7 [10] p.m. and 6 [5] a.m. on a
day that is followed by a school day; or
(2) between the hours of 11 p.m. [midnight] and 6 [5]
a.m. on a day that is not followed by a school day.
(b-1) A person commits an offense if the person permits a
child who is 16 years of age, is employed by the person, and is
enrolled in a term of a public or private school to work between the
hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on a day that is followed by a school
day.
(c) A person commits an offense if the person permits a
child who is 14 or 15 years of age, is employed by the person, and is
not enrolled in summer school to work between the hours of 11 p.m.
[midnight] and 6 [5] a.m. on any day during the time that school is
recessed for the summer.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For
purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the
effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred
before that date.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.