The CARE Act would change federal child labor rules, with a focus on farm work. It would restrict work by children under 18 in hazardous jobs, limit exemptions for children working for parents, and remove a waiver for some hand-harvest work. It would bar children under 18 from pesticide-handler tasks. Employers would have to report serious work-related injuries, illnesses, or deaths of child farmworkers within five days. The bill would raise penalties for child labor violations and add possible prison time for repeated or willful violations that cause a child’s death or serious harm. The Labor Secretary would analyze injury data and report to Congress each year.
Employers would face new limits on child farm labor and new reporting duties. Children under 18 could not work as pesticide handlers. The bill would keep state rules that give workers greater protections. It would take effect for violations after the relevant rules take effect. The bill does not describe specific effects on individual families or workers.
No publicly available information about implementation costs or funding.
The bill’s findings say its goal is to improve health and safety for children in agricultural work. They cite hazards, injuries, illness, and deaths among child farmworkers as reasons for stronger protections.
No publicly available information.