[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 110 (Friday, June 23, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CHILDREN IN AGRICULTURE MUST BE PROTECTED

  (Mr. RUIZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  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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