Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) recently introduced the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety (CARE) Act of 2023 to help save the lives of children.
He said in a press release on June 12 that this bill will raise labor standards and better protect children working on farms as he cited grave statistics on the problem.
“Farm labor is incredibly dangerous work with one of the highest occupational injury rates in our nation. In fact, every three days, a child employee dies while working in agriculture," Ruiz said in a press release on June 12. "Despite these dangerous conditions, agriculture is the only industry with little to no protections for the 400,000 young children who work in this industry every day.”
The problem stems from the labor regulations, seen only in the agricultural sector, that allow children as young as 12 years old to work in the fields without significant limits, although school hours are excluded, the press release said.
“My bill, the CARE Act, would raise labor standards for child farmworkers across the country, protecting their health, safety and overall well-being," Ruiz said. "This legislation will bring much-needed parity to farmworkers, advancing equity for the families and workers who help put food on our tables and play an essential role in our economy every day.”
According to the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, approximately 33 children get hurt each day while working on farms in the United States. Additionally, a recent report from the GAO demonstrated that over 50% of work-associated deaths among children happen in agriculture.
The CARE Act would protect family farm exemptions, while achieving safety objectives, the release said. One goal is to bring age and work hour regulations for children into harmony with other industries. Another is to create a minimum penalty for those who break child labor laws and to raise the civil penalties, both monetarily and criminally, for violators. The bill also strives to increase protection for kids against exposure to pesticides in accord with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. Lastly, the CARE Act would call for reporting work-related injuries and severe illnesses.
Riverside County Superintendent Edwin Gomez said in a Uken Report article that the safety of migrant students should be a humanitarian concern.
“As the county superintendent of schools, ensuring equitable and inclusive opportunities for all students is one of my highest priorities,” Gomez said. “The CARE Act would be an important step to ensuring that migrant students have the opportunity to achieve their educational goals, increasing opportunities for students and their families.”
The bill's cosponsor, Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-7), sees exploitation of farmworkers and their children as a grave problem in this nation.
"They deserve legal protections, better working conditions and higher workplace standards to protect their health and safety. It’s a moral imperative that we update our antiquated labor laws to give children working in agriculture the same protections and rights provided to everyone in the workforce," he said. "That’s why I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation with Rep. Ruiz to protect farmworkers and their kids from southern Arizona to California and beyond.”