In a previous column, I detailed the rights and responsibilities
that adults (those 18 and older) must remember when driving,
charged with a crime or entering a financial agreement. Adult teens
can take control of their independence when they are familiar with
laws concerning employment, renting an apartment and performing
jury duty.
In a previous column, I detailed the rights and responsibilities that adults (those 18 and older) must remember when driving, charged with a crime or entering a financial agreement. Adult teens can take control of their independence when they are familiar with laws concerning employment, renting an apartment and performing jury duty.
Entering the workforce
As an adult worker your employer must give you breaks, pay for overtime labor, and pay for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. You and your employer split the cost when it comes to paying Social Security. Further, your employer must provide workers compensation insurance in case you are injured on the job.
Most job contracts are oral, and an employer can fire you without providing a reason. However, firing someone based on race, sex, disability, or sexual orientation discrimination is illegal. If you have been fired because of discrimination, contact your local Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Money may be automatically removed from your paycheck to pay taxes. Your employer can also pull money from your paycheck if you owe union dues or if you have engaged in misconduct within the company. You should fill out an income tax return each year by April 15, and you may qualify for a refund.
For more information, see the State Bar pamphlet What Are My Rights as an Employee?
Renting
Most teens dream of living independently when they enter adulthood, and renting an apartment can be a good living situation for a young person. Though some leases are given orally, it is wise to have your rental rights and responsibilities recorded in writing. This can protect you from dishonesty or mishap.
Landlords have the right to evict you from your apartment if you fail to pay rent on time. However, you must be given notice of this eviction in advance. Landlords have the right to enter your apartment without notice to check on damage within the apartment. Otherwise, if the landlord enters the apartment without your knowledge, that landlord is trespassing.
Actual apartment buildings are insured but not your personal belongings, so get renter’s insurance to protect your large or valuable possessions.
Voting
You must be a legal adult and a U.S. citizen to register to vote. However, you cannot be in prison or on parole for a felony. You must register to vote within 15 days before the election. You can register at high school, at college, at your county elections office or at www.ss.ca.gov.
Jury duty
Potential jurors are selected at random from voter registration lists, Department of Motor Vehicles lists and telephone directories. If you are 18 or older, are a U.S. citizen, have not been convicted of a felony and are competent in English, you are eligible to be called to jury duty. Typically, more people are called to jury duty than are needed because judges and lawyers eliminate potential jurors from the group to get the fairest jury possible.
It is illegal not to show up for jury duty, but people can be excused if they are related to someone involved in the case, if your absence from regular work would cause undue hardship to you and the public, or if you have already developed an opinion about the case.
If you serve on a jury or if you are selected as a potential juror and then are excused, the court will not summon you back for at least a year.
Joining the military
If you are an 18-year-old male fit to be in the military, you must register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of your birthday. You must be registered to qualify for federal and state student aid as well as federal and state job training. Males who don’t register could pay a fine up to $250,000 and/or be sent to prison for five years.
Men stay listed on the Selective Service System while they are between the ages of 18 and 25. If a draft were reinstated, 20-year-old men would be randomly chosen first, followed by 21 to 25 year olds in chronological order. Younger men would be called to duty last.
For further information, be sure to visit www.calbar.ca.gov to view When You Become 18: A Survival Guide for Teenagers.
