CHILD Labor Act
Sponsored By: Senator Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced
Summary
Redefines "oppressive child labor." The bill broadens which jobs and worksites count as dangerous for minors and tightens rules that protect teens from hazardous or schooling‑conflicting work.
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- Protects children and families by banning employment of minors in listed hazardous industries like manufacturing, mining, meat processing, demolition, trenching, and explosives and by tightening limits for 14‑ and 15‑year‑olds; the Labor Secretary must issue rules within 180 days and update them at least every 5 years.
- Holds businesses and federal contractors accountable by extending liability across all supplier tiers, allowing prime contractors a good‑faith written‑assurance defense, and imposing procurement penalties including $20 per day in liquidated damages per child and a 3‑year bar from federal awards for breachers.
- Strengthens enforcement and victim relief with longer Hot Goods authority, physical tags on unlawfully made goods, stop‑work orders that can require pay for displaced workers, expanded legal damages, and much higher civil penalties of $160,350 per worker and $728,760 for death or serious injury, with possible doubling under listed criteria.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 4 mixed.
Stop-work and anti-retaliation rules
If enacted, the Labor Secretary would be able to issue stop-work orders to persons found violating child-labor rules. Orders can cover one or more worksites and stay in place until the Secretary is satisfied. Employers must pay workers who cannot work because of the order at their regular rate, and failure to do so would count as unpaid minimum wages. The bill would also set a civil anti-retaliation penalty of up to $75,000 for retaliation tied to child-labor complaints or proceedings, and investigators could seek records from any contractor tier, including annual profit and loss statements.
Broader child labor protections
If enacted, the bill would widen what counts as "oppressive child labor." It would bar people under 18 from working in listed dangerous industries like mining, meat processing, demolition, and explosives. The Labor Secretary would have 180 days to write rules naming other dangerous jobs and must review them at least every 5 years. The change protects more children but also limits where employers can lawfully hire minors.
Large fines and victim damages
If enacted, the bill would create very large civil penalties and damages for child-labor violations. Civil fines could be $160,350 for each affected employee and $728,760 for each violation that causes a death or serious injury, and those amounts may be doubled in serious or repeated cases. It would also create minimum compensatory damages of $75,000 per affected employee, higher minimums if a death or serious injury occurs, and possible punitive damages of at least $1,000,000. These rules increase potential recovery for victims and greatly raise employers' financial exposure.
Training, victim help, and reports
If enacted, the bill would require the Labor Department to fund or run education and training programs to spot and prevent child-labor violations and to train professionals who serve children. It would also require the Secretary, working with HHS and state agencies, to collect data on injuries, illnesses, deaths, and enforcement involving minors and deliver an initial report to Congress within 180 days and yearly reports after that. The programs aim to improve victim identification, support services, and policy oversight.
New federal contracting safeguards
If enacted, federal contracts and some federal aid would require contractors to promise they and all subcontractors do not use oppressive child labor. Contractors would need to train suppliers and set up labor-management committees. Breaches could trigger $20 per day in liquidated damages per child, contract cancellation with government completion and cost recovery, and placement on a government distribution list that generally bars awards for 3 years. Successor entities can be held jointly liable, and a written good-faith assurance defense is narrow.
Supply-chain bans and product tags
If enacted, the bill would bar offering into commerce any good or service tied to a contract where a contractor at any tier used oppressive child labor. It would extend the "hot goods" enforcement window from 30 days to 180 days and require purchasers claiming they had no notice to show they took meaningful supply-chain checks. The Labor Secretary could also affix tags up to 6 inches saying "Unlawfully manufactured; child labor" to goods made in violation, and only the Secretary or the consumer could remove them. These steps restrict market access for tainted goods and aim to inform consumers while increasing seller risk and compliance duties.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Murray, Patty [D-WA]
WA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
RI • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/17/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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