03/05/2024
March 4, 2024 Labor Commerce Committee, SB 285
Public Hearing Testimony of
Danté Bartolomeo
Commissioner
Department of Labor
Commerce Committee
March 5, 2024
Good morning, Senator Hartley, Representative Meskers, Senator Rahman, Representative Fazzino, Senator Martin, Representative Harrison, and members of the Commerce Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with written testimony regarding SB 285: AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY ON WHAT JOBS MAY BE PERFORMED BY CERTAIN MINORS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT AND RELATED REGULATIONS. My name is Danté Bartolomeo, and I am the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor.
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) appreciates the intent of SB 285, however we respectfully express several concerns with this proposal as currently written. CTDOL’s primary concern is that the study requires the agency to review statutes and regulations not under its jurisdiction to determine “what jobs may be performed by minors who are at least fourteen years of age, but under eighteen years of age, in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act and the regulations adopted thereunder.” However, there are several statutes under Connecticut law that do address the issues of minors in the workplace. Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) 31-14, 31-18, 31-23, and 31-24 address child labor parameters including hours of work and permitted and prohibited occupations.
CTDOL’s secondary concern is that conducting this study would put additional burden on the agency. The Wage and Workplace Standards Division (WWSD) is currently operating under a backlog of investigation cases, yet to be assigned, and does not have the resources to divert to an additional mandate. The Office of Research does not have the expertise, nor access to worker age data that would be necessary to complete this study. In summary, if SB 285 were to pass as written, it would require CTDOL to produce a study that would contain information that is already available through existing statutes and regulations. It would also add a significant workload, absent funding, to a unit with no additional capacity.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My staff and I remain ready and willing to discuss this topic and work with the Commerce Committee on this initiative.
Connecticut Department of Labor • www.ct.gov/dol
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer