Employees, Employers

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Reporting Child Sexual Abuse by Employers of Minors

This bill requires employers who hire minors to report any knowledge or suspicion of child sexual abuse within 24 hours and imposes penalties for violations.

What This Bill Does

• Requires employers of unemancipated minors to report suspected child sexual abuse to the minor's parent within 24 hours.
• Adds a note about the specific circumstances warranting the report in the minor’s employment file.
• Imposes a penalty of $1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for any subsequent violations.
• Specifies that all penalties must be paid to the commissioner of labor and workforce development.

Who It Names or Affects

• Employers who hire unemancipated minors under parental or guardian authority.
• Parents or guardians of minors employed by such employers.

Terms To Know

Unemancipated minor

A person under the age of majority (usually 18) who is still legally dependent on a parent or guardian.

Child sexual abuse

Any act involving a child that violates laws or social rules about what is acceptable behavior in terms of sexual activity with children.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how employers should verify the identity of parents or guardians.
• It remains unclear if there are additional reporting requirements beyond this new mandate for employers.

Official Summary Text

Present law requires certain persons to report instances of child abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and similar prohibited conduct. In addition to suc
h reporting, this bill requires an employer of a minor, who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that
the minor has been subjected to child sexual abuse or attempted child sexual abuse in the course of the minor's employment or on the premises of the e
mployer
,

to
report such knowledge or suspicion to the minor's parent within 24 hours of discovering the abuse or attempted abuse. The employer must also note the specific circumstances warranting the report in the minor's employment file.
However, this b
ill only applies to employers who employ unemancipated minors who are still under the authority of a parent or guardian.

This bill provides that an employer who violates this bill is subject to a penalty of $1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for
a second or subsequent violation. This bill requires all penalties owed under this bill to be paid to the commissioner of labor and workforce development.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 361
By Briggs

HOUSE BILL 532
By Rudder

HB0532
000086
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37
and Title 50, relative to employment of minors.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 50, Chapter 5, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following new section:
(a) A person who employs a minor and who knows or has reasonable cause to
suspect that the minor has been subjected to child sexual abuse or attempted child
sexual abuse in the course of the minor's employment or on the premises of the
employer must report such knowledge or suspicion to the minor's parent within twenty-
four (24) hours of discovering the abuse or attempted abuse. The employer must also
note the specific circumstances warranting the report in the minor's employment file.
(b) A report required by subsection (a) is in addition to any report required by §
37-1-403 or § 37-1-605, if applicable.
(c) Notwithstanding § 50-5-107, this section applies to all persons who employ
unemancipated minors.
(d) Any person who violates subsection (a) shall be subject to a penalty of one
thousand dollars ($1,000) for the first violation or two thousand dollars ($2,000) for a
second or subsequent violation. All penalties owed under this section shall be paid to
the commissioner of labor and workforce development.
(e) As used in this section, "child sexual abuse" means the same as defined in §
37-1-602.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.