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Committee Approves Exemption for Minor League Baseball Players from State Minimum‑Wage Tracking
Summary
House Bill 15-58, exempting minor league baseball players from state minimum-wage time-tracking requirements, passed the Pensions and Labor Committee 11-0. Supporters said the change implements terms of the collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Minor League Players Association.
The Pensions and Labor Committee on Monday advanced House Bill 15-58, voting 11-0 to exempt minor league baseball players from state requirements that track and apply minimum-wage rules to their hours.
Representative Van Adder, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the change would implement terms agreed to in the first collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Minor League Players Association and prevent inconsistent state employment-law requirements from conflicting with that national agreement.
Mike O'Brien of 1816 Public Affairs Group testified on behalf of Major League Baseball and said the collective bargaining agreement increased salaries and added spring-training and year‑round pay. O'Brien said stakeholders asked that states not require minute-by-minute time tracking for players because "it's really hard to even figure out what compensable time is for a minor league player. Is it when you're grocery shopping? Is it when you're taking batting practice in your garage at home? Or is it when you're playing a game?" O'Brien said the bill "exempts them from that requirement."
Representative Van Adder said Indiana has approximately 110 minor league players across three teams: the Indianapolis Indians, the Fort Wayne TinCaps and the South Bend Cubs.
Committee action: The committee called the roll and recorded 11 affirmative votes; Chair Rogers declared the bill passed and moved to the floor.
Support and outreach: Testimony was limited to Major League Baseball representatives and the sponsor; the transcript shows no contact from the Indiana Department of Labor during the hearing but stakeholders signaled willingness to engage with the department.
Impact: The bill applies narrowly to minor league baseball players in Indiana and was presented as implementing the national collective bargaining agreement rather than changing salary levels set in that agreement.
Next steps: The bill moves to the full chamber.
