What Are The Penalties For Child Labor Violations?

An offense under this Act is a Class B misdemeanor with the exception of the offense of employing a child to sell or solicit, which is a Class A misdemeanor. It is a defense to prosecution of a person employing a child who does not meet the minimum age requirement for a type of employment, that the person relied in good faith on an apparently valid certificate of age presented by the child that showed the child to meet the age requirement for that type of employment. In addition to the criminal penalty noted above, if an employer violates the provisions of this Act, the Commission may assess an administrative penalty against that employer in an amount not to exceed $10,000. Any violation or assessment of a penalty under this provision of the Child Labor Act may be appealed to a hearings examiner of the Texas Workforce Commission. No later than 30 days after a Commission order assessing a penalty becomes final, the employer may file a petition for judicial review of the order.