March 8, 2024 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has issued the following statement applauding the bipartisan advancement of the Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act through the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Booker and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the bill last year. 

The bipartisan legislation would leverage the multi-billion dollars in federal procurement contracts to hold corporations accountable for the exploitation of children. The bill would prohibit federal agencies from contracting with companies that have violated federal child labor laws or subcontract with entities that have child labor infractions.

“More than 85 years ago, our country passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which in part declared that the exploitation of children in the workplace is unacceptable. Nearly a century later, our country is plagued by a scourge of child exploitation in factory floors, dangerous meat processing plants, restaurants, and other workplaces across the country. The flagrant, ongoing violations of federal law are unacceptable, and we must do more to ensure our federal labor laws hold employers accountable when they put children in dangerous situations that jeopardize their well-being, safety, and potentially their lives. I am proud to have worked with Senator Hawley to put forward a proposal that says – at a bare minimum – employers exploiting children should not be rewarded with federal contracts,” said Senator Booker. “The Committee’s bipartisan vote to advance the Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act is a significant step toward addressing the crisis of child labor exploitation in our workforce.”

More background on the bill can be found here.
Source: Senator Cory Booker