State labor leader concerned about safety of teens

Monday, Aug. 7, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

Nevada Labor Commissioner Terry Johnson is considering banning the hiring of unsupervised teen-agers under 16 to peddle candy and other products door-to-door.

"Kids are selling everything from candy to Christmas trees, and that has raised some concerns," Johnson said. "One is a safety concern and one is an integrity concern."

Johnson said his office had received reports of unsupervised children soliciting sales in dangerous or unwholesome situations.

"There is a lot of difference in a girl standing in the parking lot of a bar on Friday night trying to sell something or another, and Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts in front of a supermarket Saturday morning taking orders for popcorn or cookies."

Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other youth organizations that sell similar products wouldn't be affected by any changes, because those selling the goods are not employees and not subject to Labor Commission rules.

Johnson also expressed concern about the approach used by some groups, which he thinks would lead a normal person to believe they were being solicited by a charity, when it is a for-profit organization.

Johnson said a public hearing on the proposal will be held before a final decision is made.

A decade ago, Raymond Lamar Curry, 10, of North Las Vegas was killed by a hit-and-run driver as he walked home from a candy-selling expedition. The adult supervisor of the sales crew was supposed to give Curry a ride home, but somehow one or the other missed their rendezvous.

Nevada law authorizes the labor commissioner to determine whether any particular work by people under 16 years of age is risky enough to prohibit.