In an effort to stop illegal child labor and hold bad employers accountable, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan bill last week that would impose tougher penalties for those who skirt child labor laws.
The Department of Labor recently released new data showing child labor violations in fiscal year 2023 soared to 5,792, the highest level in two decades. Currently, the Fair Labor Standards Act imposes weak fines for child labor violations, Sen. Young’s office said, pointing out that migrant child labor is being used for hazardous jobs in factories making products for well-known brands.
On Oct. 17, Sen. Young introduced the Stop Child Labor Act, S. 3051, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), legislation that calls for amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to apply child labor laws to independent contractors and increasing penalties for child labor law violations.
“Recent data shows that child labor exploitation is not a thing of the past or a problem limited to the developing world. This bipartisan bill would strengthen our nation’s labor laws to better protect our children,” Sen. Young said.
Under the legislation, child labor violation civil penalties would be raised to a $5,000 minimum and $132,270 maximum for routine violations and from a $25,000 minimum to $601,150 maximum for each violation that causes the death or serious injury of a minor. The bill also would create criminal penalties for a repeat violation of child labor laws to include a fine of up to $50,000 and a year in jail, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s office.
In addition, the child victims harmed by labor violations would be permitted to file private lawsuits against their employers under the senators’ bill.
“Right now, our laws are allowing some of the worst employers to get away with exploiting kids for labor with nothing more than weak fines,” Sen. Schatz said. “Our bill will strengthen our child labor laws, hold bad employers accountable, and protect kids from this illicit practice.”
If enacted into law, S. 3051 would also start a grant program aimed at helping employers recognize, avoid, and prevent child labor violations.