West Virginia 14- and 15-year-olds seeking employment would no longer be required to have a work permit under a bill approved by the House of Delegates Friday morning.
Delegates passed Senate Bill 427 with a 91 to 9 vote. The House’s nine Democrats voted against the bill. There was no discussion on the bill prior to Friday’s vote.
The minimum legal age to work in West Virginia is 14. Current state law requires 14- and 15-year-olds who want to work to get a permit from their school superintendent. The permit includes age certification, a commitment by the employer to employ the child legally, a description of the work the child is applying to do, a signature by the child’s principal saying that they’re attending school and parental consent.
Under Senate Bill 427, employers seeking to hire the teenagers would be required to obtain an age certificate verifying the child’s age from the state Division of Labor and the written consent of the child’s parent or guardian. The age certificate would include the child’s age, name and date of birth, as well as information about the job they’re seeking, among other things.
Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, chairman of the Senate Workforce Committee said the legislation is meant to simplify kids’ ability to work.
“We’re going into vocational training more and more in our public schools, and this provides a way that we’re not tasking the local county superintendents with having to approve the work permits instead going with the age...
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