Florida Senate - 2012                                     SB 308
       
       
       
       By Senator Joyner
       
       
       
       
       18-00040-12                                            2012308__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to employment of children by the
    3         entertainment industry; amending s. 450.132, F.S.;
    4         defining terms; providing requirements for the
    5         employment of children in the entertainment industry;
    6         providing responsibilities of employers and parents or
    7         legal guardians of such children; requiring a
    8         preauthorization certificate for each child; providing
    9         duties of the Division of Regulation within the
   10         Department of Business and Professional Regulation;
   11         providing limitations on the working hours of child
   12         performers; providing certification requirements and
   13         duties of teachers of child performers; requiring a
   14         trust account for certain children employed in the
   15         entertainment industry; providing safety requirements
   16         for child performers; providing criteria for wage
   17         claims; providing requirements for the Department of
   18         Economic Opportunity in resolving such claims;
   19         providing grounds under which the Division of
   20         Regulation may refuse to issue or renew a
   21         preauthorization certificate and procedures for
   22         challenging such a determination; reenacting ss.
   23         450.021(1)(b) and 562.13(2)(b), F.S., relating to the
   24         employment of minors in this state, to incorporate the
   25         amendments made to s. 450.132, F.S., in references
   26         thereto; providing an effective date.
   27  
   28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         Section 1. Section 450.132, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   31  read:
   32         (Substantial rewording of section. See
   33         s. 450.132, F.S., for present text.)
   34         450.132 Employment of children by the entertainment
   35  industry; rules; procedures; trust accounts.—
   36         (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   37         (a) “Certified teacher” means any person who holds a valid
   38  and current Florida teaching certificate issued by the
   39  Department of Education or its equivalent issued by any state,
   40  territory, possession, or other jurisdiction of the United
   41  States.
   42         (b) “Child” or “minor” has the same meaning as in s.
   43  450.012.
   44         (c) “Child performer” means a child employed to act or
   45  otherwise participate in the performing arts, including, but not
   46  limited to, motion pictures, theatrical productions, radio, or
   47  television products.
   48         (d) “Department” means the Department of Economic
   49  Opportunity.
   50         (e) “Division” means the Division of Regulation within the
   51  Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
   52         (f) “Employ” includes suffer or permit to work.
   53         (g) “Employee” means a person whose work is controlled by
   54  an employer as to how and when to perform the task.
   55         (h) “Entertainment industry” has the same meaning as in s.
   56  450.012.
   57         (i) “Hazardous condition” means, but is not limited to,
   58  special effects that could potentially be physically dangerous
   59  to the child performer.
   60         (j) “Legal guardian” means a person appointed as a guardian
   61  by a court.
   62         (k) “Place of employment,” including the “movie set,”
   63  “worksite,” “set,” and “location,” means the actual location in
   64  this state where a person provides his or her services, whether
   65  paid or unpaid, as a performer.
   66         (l) “Safety” means the condition of being protected from
   67  any situation that is detrimental to the child’s health and
   68  well-being.
   69         (m) “Wage claim” means a document signed by the attorney
   70  for a child performer giving the department authority to
   71  investigate a complaint of unpaid wages.
   72         (n) “Wages” means all amounts at which the labor or service
   73  rendered is paid, whether the amount is fixed or on a time,
   74  task, piece, or commission basis.
   75         (2) EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.—
   76         (a) Any person who employs a child performer in the
   77  entertainment industry must obtain a preauthorization
   78  certificate issued by the division before the start of work. The
   79  preauthorization certificate must include the project name; the
   80  estimated dates and length of the project; the employer’s name
   81  and Florida address; contact information for at least three
   82  individuals, including name, address, and telephone numbers; and
   83  the child performer’s information, including name, address, date
   84  of birth, where the child is registered to attend school, grade
   85  level of the child, special educational needs, anticipated
   86  length of employment on the project, nature of work on the
   87  project, and a list of any possible exposure to potentially
   88  hazardous conditions, materials, or substances. A signature is
   89  required from the employer certifying compliance with all
   90  requirements of the preauthorization certificate.
   91         (b) A preauthorization certificate for a child performer
   92  may be issued only by the division.
   93         (c)1.Before issuing a preauthorization certificate, the
   94  employer shall provide to the division a certification of
   95  teaching compliance for each certified teacher employed to teach
   96  the child performer. The certificate of teaching compliance must
   97  state the certified teacher’s appropriate teaching credentials
   98  to teach grade levels kindergarten through 12 or to teach the
   99  level of education required for the child performer at the place
  100  of employment.
  101         2. The employer must provide to the division a written
  102  criminal history check for all certified teachers on the movie
  103  set or at the place of employment. It is the responsibility of
  104  the employer, parent, legal guardian, and certified teacher to
  105  report any arrest or conviction record and any other information
  106  that may present a possible danger to the health, safety, or
  107  well-being of the child performer.
  108         (d) It is the responsibility of the employer to obtain a
  109  child performer preauthorization certificate before the
  110  employment begins. The employer must be able to provide a copy
  111  at the worksite when requested to do so. The division shall
  112  retain a copy of the preauthorization certificate.
  113         (e) The child performer preauthorization certificate is
  114  valid for 1 year after the date it is issued or until the
  115  specific project for which the child is employed by the employer
  116  ceases, whichever occurs first.
  117         (f) A signature is required from the child performer if the
  118  child is 14 years of age or older.
  119         (g) A preauthorization certificate may not be given or
  120  issued without the signature of a parent or legal guardian
  121  indicating his or her permission for his or her child to work on
  122  a specific project. A parent or legal guardian must be within
  123  eyesight and earshot of the child performer at all times other
  124  than the time periods in which the child is with a certified
  125  teacher when the teacher is teaching school.
  126         (h) The parent or legal guardian of the child performer may
  127  contact the division to renew the preauthorization certificate
  128  30 days before its expiration.
  129         (i)1. It is the responsibility of the employer to provide a
  130  certified trainer or technician who is accredited by an
  131  occupational safety and health program administered by the
  132  United States Department of Labor and who is at the place of
  133  employment at all times when a child performer may be exposed to
  134  a potentially hazardous condition.
  135         2. The employer must provide to the division a written
  136  criminal history check for all certified trainers and
  137  technicians on the movie set. It is the responsibility of the
  138  employer, parent, legal guardian, and certified trainer or
  139  technician to report any arrest or conviction record and any
  140  other information that may present a possible danger to the
  141  health, safety, or well-being of the child performer.
  142         (3) LIMITATIONS ON CHILD PERFORMERS’ WORKING HOURS,
  143  INCLUDING SCHOOL TIME.—
  144         (a) All child performers who are at least 6 years of age
  145  but younger than 18 years of age must be provided with a
  146  certified teacher for each group of 10 or fewer child performers
  147  when school is in session.
  148         (b) A child performer may not begin work before 5 a.m. or
  149  continue work after 10 p.m. on evenings preceding a school day.
  150  A child performer may not work later than midnight on a day
  151  preceding a nonschool day. The time that a child performer may
  152  be permitted at the place of employment may be extended by one
  153  half hour for a meal period.
  154         (c)1.An infant who is at least 15 days of age but younger
  155  than 7 months of age may not be employed as a child performer
  156  unless a physician, who is a board-certified pediatrician,
  157  provides a written certification that the infant is physically
  158  capable of handling the stress of filmmaking. With the
  159  physician’s approval, the infant performer may be at the place
  160  of employment a maximum of 2 hours and may not work more than 20
  161  minutes. Infants may work up to 2 cumulative hours in any 24
  162  hour period.
  163         2.A child performer who is at least 7 months of age but
  164  younger than 3 years of age may be at the place of employment
  165  for up to 4 hours and may work up to 2 hours. The remaining time
  166  must be reserved for the child performer’s rest and recreation.
  167         3.A child performer who is at least 3 years of age but
  168  younger than 6 years of age may be at the place of employment
  169  for up to 6 hours and may work up to 3 hours. The remaining time
  170  must be reserved for the child performer’s rest and recreation.
  171         (d)1. When school is in session, each child performer who
  172  is at least 6 years of age but younger than 9 years of age may
  173  be at the place of employment for up to 8 hours, for the sum of
  174  4 hours of work, 3 hours of school, and 1 hour of rest and
  175  recreation. If school is not in session, work time may be
  176  increased up to 6 hours, with the remaining time reserved for
  177  the child performer’s rest and recreation.
  178         2. When school is in session, each child performer who is
  179  at least 9 years of age but younger than 16 years of age may be
  180  at the place of employment for up to 9 hours, for the sum of 5
  181  hours of work, 3 hours of school, and 1 hour of rest and
  182  recreation. If school is not in session, work time may be
  183  increased up to 7 hours, with the remaining time reserved for
  184  the child performer’s rest and recreation.
  185         3.When school is in session, a child performer who is at
  186  least 16 years of age but younger than 18 years of age may be at
  187  the place of employment for up to 10 hours, for the sum of 6
  188  hours of work, 3 hours of school, and 1 hour of rest and
  189  recreation. If school is not in session, work time may be
  190  increased up to 8 hours, with the remaining time reserved for
  191  the child performer’s rest and recreation.
  192         (e) In exceptional circumstances due to unusual performance
  193  requirements, the division may grant a temporary waiver of the
  194  mandatory hours and start-to-finish times. The waiver must be
  195  granted before the performances of the work that is the subject
  196  of the waiver. The division may grant a waiver only under the
  197  following circumstances:
  198         1. Written notification is provided which includes a list
  199  of specific dates and times that the child performer will be
  200  employed or present at the place of employment.
  201         2. Written acknowledgement is provided that the child
  202  performer’s parent or legal guardian has been fully informed of
  203  the circumstances and has granted advance consent.
  204         (f) The child performer must be provided with a 12-hour
  205  rest and recreation break at the end of each workday.
  206         (g) All time spent traveling from a studio to a location or
  207  from a location to a studio counts as part of the child’s
  208  workday. When a child is with a company on a location that is
  209  sufficiently distant and requires an overnight stay, and the
  210  child is required to travel daily between the living quarters
  211  and the place where the company is actually working, the time
  212  the child spends traveling does not count as work time if the
  213  company does not spend more than 45 minutes traveling each way
  214  and furnishes the necessary transportation.
  215         (4) CERTIFICATION AND DUTIES OF CERTIFIED TEACHERS.—
  216         (a) A certified teacher of a child performer who attends a
  217  public school must possess a valid and current teaching
  218  certificate issued by the Department of Education. A certified
  219  teacher of a child performer who attends a private school or of
  220  a nonresident child performer must possess a valid and current
  221  teaching certificate from another state, territory, possession,
  222  or other jurisdiction of the United States to teach grade levels
  223  kindergarten through 12 or to teach the level of education
  224  required for the child performer at the place of employment.
  225         (b) A certified teacher has, in addition to teaching and in
  226  conjunction with the parent or legal guardian, the
  227  responsibility of monitoring and protecting the health, safety,
  228  and well-being of each child performer who the teacher has been
  229  hired to teach during the time that the teacher is required to
  230  be present.
  231         (c) The certified teacher, parent, or legal guardian may
  232  refuse to allow the engagement of the child performer at the
  233  place of employment. Any party may report to the division
  234  conditions threatening the health, safety, or well-being of the
  235  child performer. It is the ultimate responsibility of the parent
  236  or legal guardian to ensure that the safety, health, and well
  237  being of the child are being protected. A certified teacher
  238  shall be present during the time reserved for school, except
  239  that a child performer younger than 16 years of age does not
  240  require the presence of a certified teacher for up to 1 hour for
  241  wardrobe, makeup, hairdressing, promotional publicity, personal
  242  appearances, or audio recording if these activities are not
  243  located on the actual site of filming or at the theatre, or if
  244  school is not in session, and if the parent or legal guardian is
  245  present within earshot or eyesight of the child performer.
  246         (5) TRUST ACCOUNT FOR CHILD PERFORMERS.—
  247         (a) Each time a child performer is employed in the
  248  entertainment industry in this state under a contract in an
  249  amount equal to or greater than $1,000, a trust account shall be
  250  created for the child performer.
  251         (b) The parent, legal guardian, or trustee is responsible
  252  for establishing a trust account for the child performer in the
  253  child performer’s state of residence for the sole benefit of the
  254  child performer within 7 business days after the child
  255  performer’s employment contract is signed. The child performer
  256  may not have access to the trust account until the child
  257  performer is 18 years of age or becomes legally emancipated.
  258         (c) The parent, legal guardian, or trustee shall provide
  259  the employer with a trustee statement within 15 days after the
  260  start of employment. Upon receiving the trustee statement, the
  261  employer shall provide the parent, legal guardian, or trustee
  262  with a written acknowledgement of receipt.
  263         (d) If the trustee statement is not provided to the
  264  employer within 90 days after the start of employment, the
  265  employer shall refer the matter to the circuit court. The
  266  circuit court shall have continuing jurisdiction over the trust
  267  account.
  268         (e) The employer shall deposit not less than 15 percent of
  269  the child performer’s gross earnings directly into the child
  270  performer’s trust account within 15 business days after the
  271  child has performed. If the account is not established, the
  272  employer shall withhold 15 percent of the gross income until a
  273  trust account is established or until the court orders
  274  otherwise. After the employer deposits 15 percent of the gross
  275  earnings in the trust account, the employer shall have no
  276  further obligation to monitor the funds.
  277         (f) After the funds are deposited in the trust account,
  278  only the trustee is obligated to monitor and account for the
  279  funds.
  280         (6) SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD PERFORMERS.—
  281         (a) A dressing room may not be occupied simultaneously by a
  282  child and an adult performer or by children of the opposite sex.
  283         (b) It is the responsibility of the employer to provide a
  284  safe, secure shelter for child performers 17 years of age or
  285  younger to rest when required to be at the place of employment
  286  during nonperformance times.
  287         (c) An employer may not cause, induce, entice, or permit a
  288  child performer to engage in or be used for sexually exploitive
  289  material for the purpose of producing a performance. A child
  290  performer may not be depicted in any media as appearing to
  291  participate in a sex act.
  292         (7) WAGE CLAIMS.—
  293         (a) A determination of which child performer may have an
  294  attorney appointed in order to assist the child in filing a wage
  295  claim shall be based on the child’s earnings. A child performer
  296  earning less than one and one-half times the state’s average
  297  weekly wages, as determined by the department, shall be
  298  considered financially unable to employ an attorney.
  299         (b) Wage claim forms must be completed in duplicate,
  300  signed, and notarized.
  301         (c) The department shall notify the affected employer of
  302  any wage claim filed against him or her and allow at least 10
  303  days for the employer to file a written response. If the
  304  employer disputes the claim, his or her written response shall
  305  be given to the child employee’s attorney, who shall be allowed
  306  10 days in which to rebut the claim in writing.
  307         (d) The department may schedule an administrative hearing
  308  if, in its judgment, it would facilitate resolution of the
  309  complaint. The conduct of the hearing is not governed by the
  310  Administrative Procedures Act, but rather by procedures
  311  established by the department.
  312         (e) The department may issue a subpoena duces tecum to
  313  compel the production of records it believes are necessary for
  314  the resolution of the complaint.
  315         (f) The department may issue written findings whenever it
  316  has sufficient evidence upon which to base its determination.
  317         (g) The department may accept a notarized acknowledgment of
  318  indebtedness from the employer if the department believes it is
  319  the best way to resolve the complaint.
  320         (h) The department may file complaints in any court in the
  321  state in order to resolve wage disputes or correct violations
  322  arising under this section.
  323         (i) The department shall obtain a written assignment form
  324  signed by the child performer or his or her attorney and
  325  notarized before initiating any legal action in any court of any
  326  jurisdiction after a thorough investigation and determination
  327  that the claim is valid.
  328         (j) The department may file a proof of claim on behalf of
  329  any child performer in any United States bankruptcy court if a
  330  child performer files a wage claim and if, in the department’s
  331  judgment, it is appropriate for the resolution of the claim.
  332         (8) NONISSUANCE OR NONRENEWAL OF PREAUTHORIZATION
  333  CERTIFICATE; REDETERMINATION REQUEST AND PROCEDURES.—
  334         (a) The division director may for cause refuse to issue or
  335  renew a preauthorization certificate to any project that has
  336  violated any provision of this section within a 2-year period.
  337         (b) The director shall notify the employer within 10 days
  338  after the dates requested of a nonissuance or nonrenewal of a
  339  preauthorization certificate.
  340         (c) Any affected party may request a reconsideration of the
  341  director’s actions, in writing, within 10 days.
  342         (d) The director may schedule an administrative hearing if,
  343  in his or her judgment, it would facilitate resolution of the
  344  complaint. The conduct of the hearing is not governed by the
  345  Administrative Procedures Act, but rather by procedures
  346  established by the Department of Business and Professional
  347  Regulation.
  348         (e) The director may issue a subpoena duces tecum to compel
  349  the production of records he or she believes are necessary for
  350  the resolution of the complaint.
  351         (f) The director may issue written findings whenever he or
  352  she has sufficient evidence upon which to base his or her
  353  determination.
  354         Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendments
  355  made by this act to section 450.132, Florida Statutes, in a
  356  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
  357  450.021, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
  358         450.021 Minimum age; general.—
  359         (1) Minors of any age may be employed:
  360         (b) By the entertainment industry as prescribed in ss.
  361  450.012 and 450.132.
  362         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendments
  363  made by this act to section 450.132, Florida Statutes, in a
  364  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
  365  562.13, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
  366         562.13 Employment of minors or certain other persons by
  367  certain vendors prohibited; exceptions.—
  368         (2) This section shall not apply to:
  369         (b) Minors employed in the entertainment industry, as
  370  defined by s. 450.012(5), who have either been granted a waiver
  371  under s. 450.095 or employed under the terms of s. 450.132 or
  372  under rules adopted pursuant to either of these sections.
  373  
  374  However, a minor to whom this subsection otherwise applies may
  375  not be employed if the employment, whether as a professional
  376  entertainer or otherwise, involves nudity, as defined in s.
  377  847.001, on the part of the minor and such nudity is intended as
  378  a form of adult entertainment.
  379         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.