Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §772, as amended by PL 1999, c. 30, §1, is further amended to read:

§772. Minors under 18

A minor under 18 years of age may not be employed in any capacity that the director determines to be hazardous, dangerous to life or limbs, injurious to morals or when the minor's health would be injured. The director shall adopt rules to develop and maintain a list of occupations not suitable for employment of a minor. The rules must conform as far as practicable to the child labor provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 29 United States Code, Section 212 and any associated regulations and must prohibit such workers from working in confined spaces. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A 2-A. The rules must contain a provision prohibiting the employment of minors in places having nude entertainment. This section does not apply to minors in public and approved private schools where mechanical equipment is installed and operated primarily for purposes of instruction.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the child labor laws to provide that the Department of Labor rules prohibiting minors from working in hazardous jobs must include a rule prohibiting minors from working in confined spaces.