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S 2864

Establishes working hours for certain minors employed as professional athletes.*

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Lagana and 5 co-sponsors

Authorizes 14-15 year-old professional athletes in NJ to work until 11:30 p.m. with a parent-written permit; preserves standard limits for other minors; effective immediately.

Approved P.L.2024, c.104.
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Bill Summary · S 2864

Summary — S2864 (P.L.2024, c.104)

Status: Approved (P.L.2024, c.104), approved December 30, 2024
Sponsor: Senator Bill Cassidy (primary) — companion bill A4061

Purpose

Amends New Jersey’s Child Labor Law (P.L.1940, c.153; N.J.S.A. 34:2‑21.3) to create a limited exception to standard hours-of-work restrictions for certain minors employed as professional athletes. The goal is to accommodate evening sporting events and related activities while placing a specific night-time cutoff and requiring parental authorization.

Key provisions

  • Adds an explicit exception for minors aged 14 or 15 who are employed as professional athletes by a national sports association, league, or team.
  • Permits those 14–15 year‑olds to work until 11:30 p.m. of any day with a special written permit from the minor’s parent or legal guardian that specifies the hours the minor is allowed to work.
  • Retains existing child labor limits for other minors: generally no more than six consecutive days, 40 hours per week, eight hours per day; under‑16 restrictions on early/late hours; and special rules for 16–17 year‑olds (including limited vacation-period extensions).
  • Confirms the bill’s exception is specific to minors employed "as professional athletes" and does not apply to non‑athlete employees.
  • The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: minors aged 14–15 employed as professional athletes by national sports associations, leagues, or teams operating in New Jersey.
  • Indirectly affected: parents/legal guardians (must provide the written permit), sports teams/leagues (employers), and state labor enforcement agencies responsible for compliance.
  • No change to rules for 16–17 year‑olds or for 14–15 year‑olds in non‑athletic jobs beyond existing exceptions.

Procedural/timeline highlights

  • Introduced in the Senate (reported by the Senate Labor Committee).
  • Passed both houses of the Legislature (Senate and Assembly votes recorded in 2024).
  • Received a conditional veto from the Governor (concern that original language allowed excessively late hours); Governor recommended limiting the late-work cutoff to 11:30 p.m., aligning this exception with existing performance/concert rules.
  • Legislature concurred with the Governor’s recommendations; final version enacted as P.L.2024, c.104 on December 30, 2024 and became effective immediately.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Creates flexibility for youth sports scheduling (evening games/practices) while setting a specific nightly limit (11:30 p.m.) and requiring parental consent.
  • Balances operational needs of professional sports entities employing young athletes with child welfare concerns; it does not extend late‑night work privileges to non‑athlete minor employees.
  • Enforcement will rely on employers maintaining parental permits and complying with the statutory hour limits.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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