SACRAMENTO >> Senator Mike McGuire’s bill to renew special state legislation allowing Lake County teens work during the summer months in pear packing plants received unanimous support today in its second committee hearing.
SB 702 passed 7-0 in the Senate Appropriations Committee and will head to the Senate floor for a vote next week.
“Given the economic importance of the famous Lake County pear crop, and the longtime tradition of Lake County residents working the harvest, we’re excited to work with growers from throughout the County to advance this legislation and job training program,” McGuire said. “The best pears in the world come from Lake County and each year during the pear harvest, teenagers learn valuable on-the-job training and skills that can’t be replicated in a classroom.”
The special exemption in state law allows pear packing plants ake County to employ 16 and 17 year olds for up to 10 hours per day during the short peak harvest season — 4 to 6 weeks in the late summer months, when school is not in session. The special exemption receives oversight from the State Labor Commissioner’s office and all work permits are overseen by the Lake County Office of Education.
SB 702, the Lake County Teen Employment and Training Act, would simply extend the exemption for Lake County until January 2027 and maintain all the existing stringent requirements for employers to receive the exemption. To ensure oversight, SB 702 requires an additional report from the Labor Commissioner to be submitted to the legislature. All employers will still be subject to annual, robust audits to ensure compliance with state laws and to protect all Lake County workers.
SB 702, co-authored by Lake County’s Assemblymember Bill Dodd, was unanimously approved last week in its first hearing by the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee.
