Justice for Exploited Children Act
Congress Proposes 10-Year Prison Sentences and $600,000 Fines for Child Labor Violations
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill, introduced by Ms. Scholten, would significantly increase the punishments for companies that break child labor laws. It aims to make the penalties so high that businesses can no longer afford to ignore the rules.
- Business owners who repeatedly or intentionally hire children illegally could face up to 5 years in prison and fines of $100,000. If a child is seriously injured or dies because of these illegal actions, the prison time could increase to 10 years and the fine to $500,000.
- The bill also raises civil fines. Currently, the maximum fine for a child labor violation is around $11,000. This plan would raise that to a maximum of $150,000 for general violations and over $600,000 if a child is seriously hurt or killed.
- These new rules would apply to any violations that happen after the bill is signed into law. The goal is to protect young workers from dangerous jobs and ensure that companies follow federal labor standards.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articles
House Democrats introduce bill to hike child labor penalties after surge in violations
Rep. Hillary Scholten introduced the Justice for Exploited Children Act to significantly increase civil and criminal penalties for child labor violations. The bill comes in response to a 69% increase in children employed illegally in the U.S. since 2018.
Scholten introduces bill to increase child labor penalties
The Justice for Exploited Children Act would raise the maximum civil penalty for child labor violations and establish criminal penalties of up to 10 years in prison for violations resulting in death or serious injury, aiming to deter companies from treating fines as a cost of doing business.
House Democrats Propose Hike in Child Labor Fines to $151,380
The Justice for Exploited Children Act would increase civil money penalties for child labor violations by tenfold. The legislation reflects a growing push in Congress to address the rise of children found working in hazardous industrial and meatpacking jobs.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Justice for Exploited Children Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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