Lawmakers in Congress are moving to tighten regulations on child labor in the wake of a recent uptick in violations and uncovered exploitative practices.
House and Senate members have launched legislative efforts to change federal child labor laws, while Congressional committee chairs are pushing for oversight of companies violating such restrictions. The push for tighter control on Capitol Hill comes as the US Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services are also working to enhance enforcement of protections for employed minors.
An agency taskforce asked Congress to get involved in the effort by boosting funding for enforcement and raising civil monetary penalties, which they say aren’t high enough to deter companies from violating the law.
But the proposals on the Hill to rein in child labor violations vary in scope as lawmakers seek bipartisan consensus on a topic that has garnered national attention due to the recently uncovered precarious conditions children, often migrants, are experiencing across the country.
Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a bill March 29 that would significantly raise fines for violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Statutory maximum penalties for violations that lead to serious injury or death would go from the current $50,000 to as much as $601,150 if the bill passes.
While the...
Jessica Mathews / [email protected] Green Oak Township is setting the record straight following false claims circulating about a proposed data center project in the community. Supervisor Mark St. Char...