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Congress·In Committee·about 2 months ago

Congress Proposes 10-Year Prison Sentences and $600,000 Fines for Child Labor Violations

Also known as: Justice for Exploited Children Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impacts

Mixed Impacts(1)
Small Business Owner
Neutral

Business owners face much steeper fines and possible prison time for child labor violations, creating stronger deterrents but higher risk for any infractions.

Positive Impacts(1)
Student
Helps

Young workers gain stronger legal protections as employers face severe consequences for putting minors in dangerous or illegal work situations.

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.
Labor EmploymentCriminal Justice

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 9, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Jan 9, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

4 articles
NBC News·almost 3 years ago

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.

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The Hill·almost 3 years ago

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.

C=
Bloomberg News·almost 3 years ago

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.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Justice for Exploited Children Act

Bill NumberHR 7002
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(8)
D: 7R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.