# 119-s-5662: CARE Act of 2026

119-s-5662, CARE Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5662
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5662
- Congress: 119
- Title: CARE Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Tightening child labor protections in agriculture** would sharply expand federal limits on youth work and add new penalties, reporting, and a ban on youth pesticide handling to protect minors. - Children and families: Rewrites age rules so youngest children face broad limits and older teens are barred from jobs the Secretary deems hazardous. It also bans under-18 pesticide handler work under 40 C.F.R. Part 170. - Employers: Requires reporting within 5 days of work-related serious injury, serious illness discovery, or work-related death of an under-18 in agriculture. Failure to report carries penalties of $500 to $7,000 per violation. - Enforcement and penalties: Increases civil fines and creates criminal penalties for repeated or willful violations that cause serious harm. Civil fines can reach $60,115 for severe incidents and criminal sentences can be up to 5 years.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban on minors handling pesticides: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would prohibit anyone under 18 from doing pesticide "handler" tasks as defined in EPA rules. The bill would declare pesticide handling by minors particularly hazardous. The Secretary of Labor would have to revise child labor rules (29 C.F.R. part 570) to reflect this ban within…
- Narrowed farm child labor exceptions: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would narrow agricultural child labor exceptions. Minors under 18 could work in agriculture for a parent only outside the school hours of their home school district and only on a farm owned by or employing that parent. The bill would also remove a prior hand-harvest waiver that…
- Tighter child labor age limits: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would redefine "oppressive child labor" by age. Work by children under 14 would count as oppressive. Work by 14- and 15-year-olds would be barred unless the Secretary of Labor finds it does not harm schooling or health. Work by 16- and 17-year-olds would be barred in occupation…
- Higher fines and prison for employers: cost, medium. If enacted, employers would face much higher civil fines for child labor violations. General violations would draw $500 to $15,000 per affected employee. Violations that cause a minor’s serious injury, serious illness, or death would draw $15,000 to $60,115 per violation, and that amount could be d…
- Employer reporting and DOL data rules: mixed, low. If enacted, employers would have to report within 5 days any work-related serious injury, discovery of a work-related serious illness, or work-related death of an agricultural worker under 18. Reports would include employer identity, the employee's name and age, and incident details like hazards, c…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5662 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5662)

## Related
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5662 (as of 2026-10-17).