Exempts minors twelve or thirteen years of age from prohibitions on employment of minors when employed as a referee or umpire for youth sports games played by children under twelve years of age.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8821
SPONSOR: Woerner TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to permitting the employment
of youth referees and umpires
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would allow twelve- and thirteen-year-olds to work as referees
or umpires in youth sporting events when the players are under the age
of twelve.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Labor Law § 130(2) to add a new paragraph i permitting
children aged 12 and 13 to work under adult supervision as referees and
umpires in local youth sports games if the games don't interfere with
school attendance.
Section 2 provides an effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Many youth sports programs rely on school-aged referees and umpires
since there are not enough adult volunteers to assume those, roles.
This bill would permit youth sports events to hire 12- and 13-year-old
students to work as umpires and referees in games played by younger
children during non-school hours. This both addresses the shortage of
people to fill those important roles and allows youth sports programs to
compensate young volunteers, just like they already compensate slightly
older children. This bill is limited to local youth sports events and
does not permit 12- and 13-year-olds to work as umpires or referees for
travel or club youth sports events.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8821
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
June 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to permitting the employment
of youth referees and umpires
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 130 of the labor law is amended by
2 adding a new paragraph i to read as follows:
3 i. A minor twelve or thirteen years of age as a referee or umpire for
4 local youth sports games played by children under twelve years of age
5 and supervised by an on-site local youth sports official, when attend-
6 ance upon instruction is not required by the education law.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11979-04-5
