Children in Agriculture Must Be Protected

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight my bill, the Children's Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety, or the CARE Act. This bill will protect children in the agricultural industry by creating the same child labor protections that children have in all other industries.

Farm labor is the most dangerous occupation in our Nation, and there are no child labor protections. As a result, three kids get injured a day, and every 3 days, a child dies from injuries sustained in the fields.

Between 2001 and 2015, nearly half of all fatal injuries to young workers occurred in agriculture.

As an emergency physician, the son of farmworkers, and someone who grew up in an impoverished farmworker community with friends who left school to help financially support their families, I want to protect farmworker children across the country.

My bill aims to stop the alarming rate of farm labor injuries and deaths by raising the age of employment and limiting the number of working hours during the schoolday for children--the same as all other industries.

We must protect children. As a father, doctor, and son of farmworkers, I implore my colleagues to join this effort and cosponsor the CARE Act.

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