SACRAMENTO – Sen. Patricia Wiggins' effort to allow teens to work longer hours in the county's pear sheds during harvest came one step closer to becoming law Monday.

Wiggins' pear shed bill, SB 319, passed the full Senate on Monday, according to Wiggins' spokesman, David Miller.

SB 319 extends an exemption first offered to Lake County by state legislators in 1996, following a rewrite of child labor law.

Specifically, the exemption allows 16- and 17-year-olds residing in Lake County to work up to 10 hours per day and more than 48 hours (but not more than 60 hours) per week during peak harvest season.

Existing law allows the state Labor Commissioner to issue exemptions for agricultural packing plants to employ minors for up to 10 hours per day during peak harvest season when school is not in session, Miller reported. The commissioner is required to inspect the packing plants to ensure safe working conditions prior to issuing exemptions.

SB 319 extends Lake County's exemption until Jan. 1, 2012, Miller reported. Without Wiggins’ bill, the exemption will expire on Jan. 1, 2008.

In light of recent labor shortages, Wiggins said letting teens work longer hours in the pear sheds will help the local pear industry get through the peak harvest season, which also coincides with the peak in tourism.

“It is clear that this exemption has been very successful for Lake County and that, without it, the local agricultural industry is at risk of additional revenue losses in the future,” Wiggins said.

The Lake County branch office of the state Employment Development Department (EDD) described last year’s labor shortage as "extreme," resulting in the loss of $2.5 million in lost pears – a situation that could have been worse had it not been for the minors working in the agricultural packing plants.

The EDD also reported that total summer wages were in excess of $60,000 for the participating minors, allowing students to focus on academic, rather than economic, issues during the school year.

No injuries among the minors or violations among the participating agricultural packing plants have been reported for the past two years, the EDD reported.

SB 319 has had the continued support of numerous local agencies and groups, including the Board of Supervisors, Lake County Sheriff's Office, Lakeport Police, local school districts, the county's administration and probation departments, Scully Packing and Adobe Packing, and California Women for Agriculture.

Wiggins' bill, which has enjoyed bipartisan support, next heads to the Assembly, said Miller.

If approved by the Legislature, the bill would next move to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk to be signed into law, Miller reported.

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