SENATE LABOR COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4340

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 5, 2025

      The Senate Labor Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 4340.

      This bill revises the child labor laws concerning the employment of a minor in a theatrical production.  Specifically, the bill revises the hours in which a minor may work each day on a production so that a minor:

      (1)  between six and under nine years old may work up to four hours in a day on a school day and up to six hours in a day on a non-school day, with time on set not exceeding eight hours in a day;

      (2)  between nine and under 16 years old may work up to five hours in a day on a school day and up to seven hours in a day on a non-school day, with time on set not exceeding nine hours in a day; and

      (3)  between 16 years old and under 18 years old may work on set for up to six hours a day on a school day and up to nine hours a day on a non-school day, with time on set not exceeding 10 hours in a day.

      The bill further provides that on a day not preceding a school day, a minor may work between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.  The bill creates a registration system independent of the system for other working minors that allows one account to be shared by a parent or guardian and a minor and allows a parent or guardian to apply for a multi-employer or multi-production permit that will be valid for one year. An employer for a theatrical production may still apply for a single production permit on behalf of a minor, with the consent of a parent or guardian.

      The bill changes the schooling requirements for a minor in a theatrical production to require that the employer provide a tutor for the minor who will provide schooling to the minor for three hours per day on a day of employment.  The bill provides that additional schooling may be permitted under certain circumstances that may count toward the three-hour daily schooling requirement.
      This bill is modeled after child theatrical labor requirements in California and New York, as well as guidelines established by the Screen Actors Guild.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

      (1) clarify the requirements for tutoring after the minor has missed three days of school; and

      (2) specify the maximum number of hours, by age group, that a minor may work in a theatrical production for both a school day and a non-school day.