LANSING, Mich. — Congresswoman Hillary Scholten announced a new bill Wednesday that would hold companies accountable if they violate child labor laws.
The Justice for Exploited Children Act was introduced after an investigation by the New York Times exposed the hazardous working conditions migrant children face, namely in Grand Rapids.
The investigation also drew attention to alleged malpractice by Hearthside Food Solutions, which has manufacturing facilities in West Michigan.
“The fully broken immigration system in which these vulnerable children exist,” says Scholten. “It is saturated with violations.”
READ MORE: Grand Rapids business accused of violating child labor laws
The new bill would heighten civil penalties for violations by nearly tenfold.
Those penalties are currently maxed at just over $15,000 for standard violations, and capped at about $69,000 if violations result in serious injuries or death.
Scholten's legislation aims to raise the cap to $132,000 and $601,000, respectively. The bill also proposed establishing minimum payment requirements, which currently do not exist.
“This bill is particularly aimed at, you know, egregious violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act where we have, you know, kids working in dangerous conditions,” says Scholten. “We're not talking about, you know, a high school kid with a paper route after school, right? We're talking about keeping 6-year-olds out of slaughterhouses.”
Scholten says they and the Education and Workforce Committee are in discussions to get the bill on the latter’s agenda.
After the New York Times article was published, Scholten immediately called on the White House to take action and create an interagency task force.
That task force has since been established between the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
READ MORE: Rep. Scholten helps activate federal task force for young, 'exploited' migrant workers
