Employees, Employers

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not specify how enforcement or monitoring will occur, leaving this as an open question.

Law Requiring Employers to Report Suspected Child Sexual Abuse

This bill requires employers who hire minors and know or suspect child sexual abuse to report this information to the minor's parent within 24 hours and imposes penalties for violations.

What This Bill Does

• Requires employers of unemancipated minors to report knowledge or suspicion of child sexual abuse to the minor’s parent within 24 hours.
• Adds details about the abuse in the minor’s employment file.
• Imposes a penalty of $1,000 for the first violation and $2,000 for each additional one.

Who It Names or Affects

• Employers who hire unemancipated minors under their parents' or guardians' authority.

Terms To Know

Unemancipated minor

A young person still legally under the care and control of a parent or guardian.

Child sexual abuse

Any form of sexual activity with a child, including touching, exposure, or exploitation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if an employer fails to report the abuse.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced and monitored by authorities.

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

HOUSE BILL 532
By Rudder

SENATE BILL 361
By Briggs

SB0361
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.