Senator Anthony Bucco’s (R-25) legislation to help ease the application process for teens looking to gain work experience has passed the Senate Labor Committee.

“Unnecessary regulations make it difficult for New Jersey teenagers who want to find part-time or summer employment,” Bucco said. “Young residents shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to obtain working papers. With high school nearing its end and summer around the corner, let’s cut the red tape and give our teenagers the chance to work.”

Bucco’s legislation, S-2353, would transfer the task of issuing working papers from a minor’s school to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The bill would remove the requirement that a minor must submit a statement of physical fitness in order to be permitted to work, as well as create an exception for minors who have already graduated high school, making them no longer dependent on working papers.

This bill was introduced at the request of a constituent in Senator Bucco’s district. The constituent was a high school graduate, but because he was under the age of 18, he needed to return to his high school after securing full-time employment in order to obtain his working papers and be authorized to work.

Senator Bucco’s legislation would address this issue by simplifying and expediting the process for a minor to obtain working papers.

“Teens want summer jobs to help them save up for a car, buy a new video game, or go to a concert,” Bucco added. “We have the best economy in decades, with more job openings than people able to fill them. It’s a no brainer to expand the job applicant pool by scrapping antiquated rules that only serve to keep teenagers out of the workforce.”