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HB61 • 2026

EMPLOYMENT OF MINORS

An Act relating to employment; relating to voluntary flexible work hour plans; relating to the employment of minors; and relating to hours worked by minors employed in the state.

Children Education Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
HOUSE RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
Last action
2025-02-06
Official status
(H) STA
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide detailed information about the application process for hiring minors or specific exemptions under AS 23.10.360 and other regulations adopted by the department.

Rules for Employing Minors

This act changes rules about how minors can be employed, including hours they can work and requirements for employers.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the maximum weekly working hours for minors under 16 to 23 hours when school is in session.
  • Allows minors under 16 to work up to 40 hours a week during school breaks.
  • Requires employers to have special permission from the commissioner to hire minors under 16, unless they are supervised by family members.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employers who want to hire minors under 16 years old.
  • Minors aged 14 and 15 looking for employment.

Terms To Know

Flexible Work Hour Plan
A plan that allows employees to have different working hours each day, as long as the total weekly hours do not exceed 40.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how employers can apply for permission to hire minors.
  • It is unclear what specific exemptions exist under AS 23.10.360 and other regulations adopted by the department.
  • The effective date of this act has not been determined.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-06 Min

    (H) Minutes (HSTA)

  2. 2025-02-06 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  3. 2025-02-06 Text

    (H) STATE AFFAIRS at 03:15 PM GRUENBERG 120

  4. 2025-01-22 52

    (H) REFERRED TO STATE AFFAIRS

  5. 2025-01-22 52

    (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER

  6. 2025-01-22 52

    (H) FN1: ZERO(LWF)

  7. 2025-01-22 52

    (H) STA, L&C

  8. 2025-01-22 52

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

EMPLOYMENT OF MINORS
An Act relating to employment; relating to voluntary flexible work hour plans; relating to the employment of minors; and relating to hours worked by minors employed in the state.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0061a -1- HB 61
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-GH1389\A

HOUSE BILL NO. 61

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR

Introduced: 1/22/25
Referred: State Affairs, Labor and Commerce

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to employment; relating to voluntary flexible work hour plans; relating 1
to the employment of minors; and relating to hours worked by mi nors employed in the 2
state." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 23.10.060(d)(14) is amended to read: 5
(14) work performed by an employee under a voluntary flexible work 6
hour plan that does not exceed 40 hours a week and 12 hours a day if 7
(A) the employee and the employer have signed a written 8
agreement establishing the daily and weekly hours worked by the employee 9
under the plan and the written agreement has been filed with the department; 10
and 11
(B) the department has issued a certificate approving the plan 12
[THAT STATES THE WORK IS FOR 40 HOURS A WEEK AND NOT 13
MORE THAN 10 HOURS A DAY]; for work exceeding [OVER 40 HOURS 14
34-GH1389\A
HB 61 -2- HB0061a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

A WEEK OR 10 HOURS A DAY UNDER] a flexible work hour plan not 1
included as part of a collective bargaining agreement, compensa tion at the rate 2
of one and one-half times the regular rate of pay shall be paid for the overtime; 3
* Sec. 2. AS 23.10.332(a) is amended to read: 4
(a) Except for employment exempted under AS 23.10.330 and (e) of this 5
section and other employment specificall y exempted by regulations adop ted by the 6
department, a minor under 16 [17] years of age may only [NOT] be employed by or 7
allowed to work for an employer who has received a general written authorization 8
to employ minors from [WITHOUT THE WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION OF] the 9
commissioner unless authorized under AS 23.10.360 [OR UNDER (c) O F T H I S 10
SECTION]. 11
* Sec. 3. AS 23.10.332 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 12
(e) An employer is not require d to obtain written authorizatio n under (a) of 13
this section to employ a minor under the direct supervision of a family member of the 14
minor in a business owned and operated by the family member or on a boat owned and 15
operated by the famil y member. In this subsection, "family memb er" means a parent, 16
grandparent, adult sibling, aunt, or uncle. 17
* Sec. 4. AS 23.10.340(a) is amended to read: 18
(a) A minor under 16 years of age may not be employed for more t h a n a 19
combined total of 10 [NINE] hours school attendance and employment in one day. If 20
employed, the minor's work may be performed only between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. 21
Domestic work and baby sitting excepted, employment [EMPLOYMENT 22
OUTSIDE SCHOOL HOURS] may not exceed 23 hours in one week when school is 23
in session or 40 hours in one week when school is not in sessio n [, DOMESTIC 24
WORK AND BABY-SITTING EXCEPTED]. 25
* Sec. 5. AS 23.10.332(c) and 23.10.332(d) are repealed. 26
* Sec. 6. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 27
read: 28
REVISOR'S INSTRUCTION. The revisor of statutes is requested to change the catch 29
line for AS 23.10.332 from "Authorization for children under 17 to work" to "Authorization 30
to employ children under 16." 31