SB1996eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1996 Engrossed LRB103 28652 SPS 55033 b

AN ACT concerning employment.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be referred to as the Manufacturing Mentorship Program Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Employer" means a person who employs an individual in a manufacturing occupation.

"Manufacturing occupation" means employment that consists of the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products for sale, including the assembling of component parts into a finished product.

"Program" means the Manufacturing Mentorship Program.

Section 10. Manufacturing Mentorship Program.

(a) There is hereby created the Manufacturing Mentorship Program for the purpose of exposing minors who are 16 or 17 years of age to manufacturing occupations in this State through temporary employment with an employer. An employer employing a minor under the program shall do all of the following:

(1) determine the duration of the minor's employment;

(2) assign the minor a mentor to provide direct and close supervision while the minor is engaged in any workplace activity;

(3) provide the minor with the training described in subsection (b);

(4) encourage the minor to participate in a career and technical education program approved by the State Board of Education if the minor is not participating in a career and technical education program when the minor begins employment; and

(5) comply with all applicable State and federal laws and regulations relating to the employment of minors.

(b) An employer employing a minor who is 16 or 17 years of age in a manufacturing occupation under the program shall provide the minor with training that includes all of the following:

(1) a 10-hour course in general industry safety and health hazard recognition and prevention approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor;

(2) instructions on how to operate the specific tools the minor will use during the minor's employment;

(3) the general safety and health hazards to which the minor may be exposed at the minor's workplace;

(4) the value of commitment to safety and safety management; and

(5) information on the employer's drug testing policy.

(c) For purposes of this Section, a minor may participate in a 30-hour course in general industry safety and health hazard recognition and prevention approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor if the minor has already successfully completed a 10-hour course.

(d) The employer shall pay any costs associated with providing the training required by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) or permitted under paragraph (2) of subsection (b).

(e) An employer is not required to provide the training described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) if the minor presents proof of completing the training during the 6-month period immediately before beginning employment with the employer.

(f) Employers of a minor who is 16 or 17 years of age and who is employed under the program shall not allow such minor to operate tools that are not exempt from federal child labor laws during the minor's employment in a manufacturing occupation. No employer shall allow minors to use any tools that are prohibited by the manual issued by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor titled "Field Operations Handbook" or its successor. Nothing in this Act shall prevent the use of a tool if orders issued pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 specifically permit minors of that age to operate the tool.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2024.