The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“CHILDREN AND EMPLOYMENT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H9494 on Sept. 15, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CHILDREN AND EMPLOYMENT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) for 5 minutes.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Children's Act for Responsible Employment, better known as the CARE Act.
This month, millions of children across the country are returning to school. After meeting their teachers and reconnecting with friends, they will launch headlong into their studies. Absent from our Nation's classroom, however, will be thousands of children who, instead of going to school, will be working in the fields and orchards of our country. These are not children of local farmers, but hired hands who travel from crop to crop to help their families make ends meet.
These children who help put food on their table start school late and continue to work long hours, leaving them little time or energy to do their homework. If previous years are any guide, some of these students will miss 1 out of every 6 days of school.
The results are predictable. Studies show that 50 percent of youth who regularly perform farm work drop out of school. The consequences of this high drop-out rate are tragic.
In addition to these children being deprived of educational opportunities, which could help them escape a lifetime of being stooped over in the hot sun picking fruits and vegetables, it deprives our country of the talents and potential contributions of these young children.
Adding to their heartbreaking circumstances is the fact that many of our labor laws do not protect them equally. Not only do they earn sub-
minimum wages, but under current law the children of agriculture are allowed to use hazardous farm equipment and work in an environment that continually exposes them to poisonous pesticides, which can lead to serious injury or even death.
These dangerous and exploitive conditions, which are illegal for children in every other industry, simply do not reflect the precious value we Americans place on children. I am introducing the CARE Act to reflect our value.
The CARE Act raises labor standards for farm worker children to the same level as those for children in all other occupations. Specifically, the bill raises the minimum age for working in agriculture to 14 and restricts children under 16 from working when it interferes with their education or endangers their health and well-
being.
The CARE Act also prohibits children under the age of 18 from agricultural work that the Department of Labor has specified as particularly hazardous. This is consistent with current law governing all industries outside of agriculture.
The CARE Act also requires employers to document the injuries, illness and deaths of these young people. This documentation will enable the Department of Labor to monitor and protect children working in agriculture from exploitation and dangerous work conditions. And, finally, to help ensure compliance with the bill's protective measures, the CARE Act sets a minimum fine of $500 for child labor violations and a maximum fine of $15,000.
Madam Speaker, it is our moral obligation to do all we can to protect the rights, the safety and the educational future of our most precious resource, our children. The CARE Act is a positive step toward meeting that obligation.
I urge my colleagues to cosponsor and help pass the Children's Act for Responsible Employment, known as the CARE Act.
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