Committee approves amended bill to clarify teen‑employment reporting and remove obsolete mining language

A House committee passed House Bill 1302 as amended, approving language that clarifies how and when employers must record hires, status changes and terminations for minors in the state's youth-employment database and removing obsolete mining-code language.

Representative Teschka offered Amendment Number 1 to HB 1302 that strikes a provision that would have transferred funds from the residual asbestos injury fund to the workers' compensation supplemental administrative fund. "The residual asbestos injury fund is hanging out there right now, and those dollars can't be used. It's a little over, dollars 700,000," he said, noting the transfer would be revisited next year.

The amended bill has two main provisions. The first tightens reporting requirements for employers who hire minors: it clarifies that changes must be reported within 14 calendar days of the triggering event and that employers must not take longer than 30 days to terminate a minor's record. The second deletes obsolete code referencing a belt examiner certificate that the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration no longer certifies.

Brent Cullars of the Indiana Department of Labor told the committee the 2024 law (effective Jan. 1, 2025) contained language that led to inconsistent reporting by employers. He said the department proposes a clear 14‑day window after an event (and a 30‑day maximum for termination entries) and that DOL will work with employers on exceptions such as medical leave. "What we're proposing is that they would have 14 calendar days after the event that caused the need for addition, modification, or removal," Cullars said.

Committee members accepted the amendment by consent and then moved to pass the bill as amended. The roll-call vote was 11–0 in favor. The committee adjourned.