The CHILD Labor Act strengthens federal child labor protections by expanding prohibited hazardous occupations, increasing penalties for violations, and holding companies accountable for their entire supply chains and federal contracts.
Patty Murray
Senator
WA
The Children Harmed In Life-threatening or Dangerous Labor (CHILD) Labor Act strengthens federal protections against child labor by expanding the definition of hazardous work and increasing corporate accountability across supply chains. The bill imposes significantly tougher financial and criminal penalties for violations, grants the Department of Labor enhanced enforcement tools, and mandates stricter child labor standards for federal contractors. Additionally, it requires annual reporting on workplace injuries to ensure greater transparency and safety for young workers.
CHILD Labor Act Hits Companies with $160,000 Fines and Supply Chain Accountability
The CHILD Labor Act is a massive overhaul of how the U.S. handles underage work, moving beyond just the kids on the floor to the companies at the top of the food chain. It redefines 'oppressive child labor' to strictly ban anyone under 18 from working in high-risk zones like meat processing, demolition, or excavation. For 14- and 15-year-olds, the rules get even tighter, ensuring work doesn't mess with their school or health. The bill doesn't just ask nicely; it mandates that the Secretary of Labor update these hazardous occupation lists every five years to keep up with new tech and workplace dangers.
The End of the 'I Didn't Know' Defense
In the past, big brands could often shrug off child labor violations by pointing at a distant subcontractor. This bill changes the game by making the 'prime contractor' responsible for their entire supply chain. If you’re a retailer selling goods made with child labor, the Department of Labor can now slap an 'Unlawfully manufactured. Child labor' tag—up to six inches long—directly onto those products. To avoid liability, companies have to prove they took 'meaningful and affirmative steps' to check their suppliers, rather than just taking their word for it. It also closes the 'successor' loophole, meaning an owner can’t just shut down a violating shop and reopen under their cousin’s name to dodge fines.
Heavy Fines and Stop-Work Orders
The financial stakes are pivoting from 'cost of doing business' to 'business-ending.' Civil penalties are jumping to a base of $160,350 per violation, and if a child is seriously injured or killed, that fine can skyrocket to over $700,000. If the violation is willful or repeated, those numbers double. Beyond fines, the Secretary of Labor can now issue 'stop work orders'—essentially hitting the pause button on a factory or job site. While the machines are off, the bill requires the company to keep paying its adult workers their regular wages, treating a failure to pay them like a minimum wage violation.
Federal Contracts and Real-World Recourse
If you’re doing business with the government, the leash is even shorter. Federal contractors must now establish labor-management committees to review child labor policies and provide training to every subcontractor they hire. Violate these rules, and you could face a three-year ban from winning any federal contracts. For the workers themselves, the bill extends the clock to file a claim to ten years and sets a minimum of $75,000 in damages for victims. While these high dollar amounts and the broad definition of 'meaningful steps' will likely keep corporate lawyers busy, the goal is to make the cost of using child labor far higher than the cost of hiring adults at a fair wage.