Youth Employment Updates Second Draft Rule Language
Consultation has concluded
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Employment Standards Program is seeking a second round of public feedback on draft changes to child labor rules.
The rulemaking effort is in response to three bills passed during the 2025 legislative session:
Substitute House Bill 1121 (SHB 1121) – Allows minors enrolled in career and technical education programs to work the same number of hours in a day and a week during the school year as during school vacations, so long as the work is performed for an employer participating in the educational program.
Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1644 (ESHB 1644) – Requires safety-and-health and child labor consultations for employers seeking exceptions to child labor rules involving certain prohibited tools and equipment. The bill also increases consequences for failures to keep minor workers safe in agricultural and non-agricultural industries.
House Bill 1722 (HB 1722) – Allows minors with certain licenses or certifications issued by the Washington State Department of Health to work around bloodborne pathogens.
L&I filed a notice on Sep. 2 that the department would begin the process to revise child labor rules. The department took public input on the proposed changes in November and December and has incorporated suggestions into an updated version.
L&I is releasing the preliminary draft rules in two batches, with each batch containing updates to both agricultural and non-agricultural child labor rules. Batch A contains the updates necessary to implement the bills, as well as improvements to the rules’ organization and alignment with federal standards.
Batch B contains additional rule provisions to improve the clarity and readability of the rules, the protections for minors, and consistency between the standards for agricultural and non-agricultural industries.
As the rulemaking process continues, L&I may consolidate the two batches into a single draft.
We are asking the public to review the updated draft of the preliminary rule language by 5 p.m. Jan. 30, 2026. You can submit feedback via the ESRules@Lni.wa.gov email box.
In addition to written comments, L&I is hosting a virtual public feedback session sessions to share information, respond to questions, and receive comments. The feedback session will be on Jan 26 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting ID is 253 111 879 489 07, and the passcode is Y2TG2zR3. You can also join via phone at 253-372-2181(Conference ID: 822 545 571#).
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Employment Standards Program is seeking a second round of public feedback on draft changes to child labor rules.
The rulemaking effort is in response to three bills passed during the 2025 legislative session:
Substitute House Bill 1121 (SHB 1121) – Allows minors enrolled in career and technical education programs to work the same number of hours in a day and a week during the school year as during school vacations, so long as the work is performed for an employer participating in the educational program.
Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1644 (ESHB 1644) – Requires safety-and-health and child labor consultations for employers seeking exceptions to child labor rules involving certain prohibited tools and equipment. The bill also increases consequences for failures to keep minor workers safe in agricultural and non-agricultural industries.
House Bill 1722 (HB 1722) – Allows minors with certain licenses or certifications issued by the Washington State Department of Health to work around bloodborne pathogens.
L&I filed a notice on Sep. 2 that the department would begin the process to revise child labor rules. The department took public input on the proposed changes in November and December and has incorporated suggestions into an updated version.
L&I is releasing the preliminary draft rules in two batches, with each batch containing updates to both agricultural and non-agricultural child labor rules. Batch A contains the updates necessary to implement the bills, as well as improvements to the rules’ organization and alignment with federal standards.
Batch B contains additional rule provisions to improve the clarity and readability of the rules, the protections for minors, and consistency between the standards for agricultural and non-agricultural industries.
As the rulemaking process continues, L&I may consolidate the two batches into a single draft.
We are asking the public to review the updated draft of the preliminary rule language by 5 p.m. Jan. 30, 2026. You can submit feedback via the ESRules@Lni.wa.gov email box.
In addition to written comments, L&I is hosting a virtual public feedback session sessions to share information, respond to questions, and receive comments. The feedback session will be on Jan 26 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting ID is 253 111 879 489 07, and the passcode is Y2TG2zR3. You can also join via phone at 253-372-2181(Conference ID: 822 545 571#).
