CHILD LABOR-PARK EMPLOYMENT

104th Regular Session Introduced by Adriane Johnson

The bill allows minors in park jobs and youth sports officiants to be supervised by an 18+ adult employee on-site (or on-call for officiants) instead of a 21+ on-site supervisor, w

Referred to Assignments

Main purpose

To amend Section 35 of the Illinois Child Labor Law to create limited exceptions to the existing requirement that minors be supervised on-site by an adult 21 years of age or older while working. The bill allows younger supervision in certain park-related employment and modifies the supervision standard for youth sports officiants.

Key provisions

Supervision requirement (current law): all minors must be supervised on-site by an adult 21+ while working.

New exemptions (the 21+ on-site requirement does NOT apply to):

Minors working for a park district, municipal parks & recreation department, or township parks & recreation department who are supervised by an adult 18 years of age or older who is an employee of that park entity — provided no alcohol or tobacco is being sold on site.
Minors working as officiants of youth sports activities if an adult 21+ employee of the park district / municipal parks & recreation department / township parks & recreation department is "on call" (i.e., available to respond).

Other employer requirements included in Section 35 (existing law, retained):

Employment certificates and notices of intention to employ.
Recordkeeping (minor’s name, DOB, residence, certificate).
Meal break rule: minors may not be required to work more than 5 continuous hours without a 30-minute meal break.
Posting employer notice summarizing Child Labor Act requirements and Department contact.
Retention of employment certificates for the period of employment plus 3 years.
Reporting obligations for work-related death or serious injury of a minor to the Department and issuing school official.

Who is affected

Minors employed by park districts, municipal or township parks & recreation departments, and employers of youth sports officiants.

Park districts and municipal/township parks & recreation departments (their staffing and supervisory policies).

Employers generally covered by the Child Labor Law (recordkeeping, meal breaks, reporting continue to apply).

Enforcement agencies (Department that oversees Child Labor Law).

Potential impacts and considerations

Operational flexibility for parks: allows use of 18–20-year-old park employees to supervise minors in many park settings (so long as no alcohol/tobacco sales occur on site).

Youth sports officiants: permits minors to officiate with a 21+ employee on call rather than physically on site, potentially increasing availability of youth officials.

Safety and liability: lower on-site supervision age and “on call” supervision raise potential safety, training, and liability considerations; municipalities and park districts may want to set internal training/supervision standards.

The alcohol/tobacco carve-out restricts the exemption where such sales occur, maintaining stricter supervision in those environments.

Procedural / timeline notes

Introduced in the Illinois Senate (Sponsor: Sen. Adriane Johnson). Effective immediately upon enactment.

Companion bill: HB 3631. The bill will proceed through committee review (Assignments/education-related committees) and further legislative steps before becoming law.

If you want, I can:
- Draft a one-page memo analyzing liability and training implications for park districts, or
- Track the bill’s committee schedule and vote outcomes.

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