WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) reintroduced the Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act, which would prohibit corporations that engage in illegal child labor practices from securing federal contracts. The bill passed out of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with strong bipartisan support last year.

“Right now in America, big corporations are exploiting children in workplaces where federal law says they shouldn’t be in the first place. Children are cleaning dangerous machinery in factories, handling toxic chemicals, working exhausting shifts in meat processing plants, and more, all in flagrant violation of the law. Companies are often able to shield themselves from accountability by using third-party vendors with long records of labor infractions. I am proud to work with Senator Hawley to say that, at the very least, the federal government should not contract with companies that violate child labor law. Federal contracts must not be used to drive profits for corporations that continue to jeopardize our children’s safety and well-being,” said Senator Booker.

“Companies that illegally employ children should not be rewarded with lucrative federal government contracts that make corporations millions,” said Senator Hawley. “This bipartisan legislation would hold companies accountable for engaging in child labor exploitation and rightfully ensure offenders face consequences.”

The Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act would:

  1. Require companies competing for contracts with federal agencies to disclose child labor violations by the company itself as well as by any of their contractors in the preceding three years, with stiff penalties for failure to report.
  2. Empower the Secretary of Labor to determine corrective measures for a company and/or their contractors to remain eligible for the executive agency contracts.
  3. Require the Secretary of Labor to prepare a list of companies that are ineligible for federal contracts for that year based on serious, repeated, or pervasive violations of child labor laws.
  4. Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase penalties for child labor violations and to authorize the Secretary of Labor to provide training on preventing violations.
  5. Create a federal study on the prevalence and nature of child labor among federal contractors.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.