On June 8, 2023, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D- VA) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (D-NC) sent a letter urging Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to hold a hearing on the rise of child labor violations and legislative proposals to address abusive child labor.
“In short, the scourge of child labor that Congress sought to eliminate 85 years ago with the passage of [the Fair Labor Standards Act] FLSA is back, and it has returned at time when the agencies we expect to provide timely data and aggressive enforcement lack the resources they need. We ask that you schedule a hearing this month so that Committee members have the opportunity to hear about the nature and scope of the child labor problem confronting the country and the legislative solutions to address it.”
This letter was sent ahead of World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, 2023, and after recent news reports indicating that states are relaxing child labor laws to address workforce shortages.
