An Act to amend and reenact § 40.1-100 of the Code of Virginia, relating to employment prohibition exceptions; apprenticeships; children 16 years of age or older.
HB275 amends Virginia’s child labor law, specifically § 40.1-100, to create a clearer exception for children age 16 and older who are serving in a voluntary apprenticeship. Under the bill, those apprentices may be employed in occupations otherwise restricted for minors, so long as the work is consistent with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and regulations issued by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry. The bill leaves in place the general prohibitions on hazardous work for children under 18, including mining, explosives, radioactive substances, certain machinery, dangerous chemicals, demolition, logging, meatpacking, and other hazardous occupations.
The measure also preserves and restates existing limited exceptions for 17-year-olds who may drive under narrow conditions, such as daylight-only driving, limited vehicle size, valid licensing, driver education, and restrictions on distance, frequency, and type of deliveries or passenger transport. The apprenticeship language is the main substantive change, tying Virginia law more explicitly to federal child labor standards and the state’s voluntary apprenticeship framework.
HB275 updates § 40.1-100 of the Code of Virginia by expanding the statutory exception for 16-year-olds and older who are participating in voluntary apprenticeships, allowing them to work in occupations otherwise restricted by the child labor law when federal law and state regulatory standards permit it. The bill affects employers, apprenticeship sponsors, and minors age 16 and 17, while leaving the broader hazardous-occupation prohibitions intact for children under 18. It also reinforces the role of the Commissioner of Labor and Industry in regulating hazardous work exceptions and aligns state law more closely with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote breakdown, so there is no detailed public debate to characterize. Based on the enacted text, the bill appears to have been treated as a targeted labor-law clarification rather than a broad policy overhaul. Its approval into chapter law suggests the measure had sufficient support to pass without documented controversy in the materials provided.
The main policy issue is the balance between youth worker protections and workforce development through apprenticeships. Supporters would likely view the bill as helping 16- and 17-year-olds gain practical job training and career pathways, while opponents or cautious observers may worry about loosening child labor restrictions or exposing minors to hazardous work. The bill addresses that concern by limiting the exception to voluntary apprenticeships and by requiring consistency with federal law and state regulation, but the scope of what occupations may be reached under the apprenticeship exception remains the key point of potential contention.