RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LABORERS; PROVIDING FOR A MINIMUM LENGTH OF SHORT-HANDLED HOES; IMPOSING A CRIMINAL PENALTY.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. MINIMUM LENGTH OF HOE HANDLES.--

A. An employer of agricultural laborers shall not require an employee to use a hoe that has a handle shorter than four feet while performing agricultural labor that includes weeding, thinning or hot-capping in a stooped, kneeling or squatting position for a commercial farming operation.

B. An employer who violates Subsection A of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be sentenced pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978.

C. This section does not apply to an employer engaged in the operation of a greenhouse or nursery.

HB 53

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