Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7002

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

Justice for Exploited Children Act

2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

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

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

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.

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.

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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