S. 920 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 10, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryBlocks child labor violators from federal contracts
Here's the gist: the federal government wants to make sure the companies it does business with aren't breaking child labor laws. This bill requires any company bidding for a federal contract to admit if it has violated child labor laws in the past three years and to show what it did to fix the problem. If a company admits to violating child labor laws and hasn't taken corrective action, the government can't award it a contract. The bill also raises the financial penalties for companies that break child labor laws in the first place.
How it affects you
If you work for or own a company that contracts with the federal government, you'll need to report whether you've been found to violate child labor laws and prove you've made improvements. For most people, this mainly means the companies supplying goods and services to federal agencies will face stricter standards on child labor practices.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 10, 2025)
Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act
This bill prohibits federal agencies from awarding contracts to entities and offerors that (1) admit to having violated federal child labor laws, and (2) have failed to take corrective action. The bill also increases civil penalties for violations of specified child labor provisions.
Under the bill, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council must amend regulations to require
• any entity that enters into a contract with a federal agency to annually represent whether such entity has been determined to have violated federal child labor laws in the preceding three years, and
• any offeror, as well as each subcontractor or service provider to be used in performing the offeror's contract or considered for the performance of such contract, to certify whether it has been determined to have violated federal child labor laws in the preceding three years.
Those who affirm they have violated child labor laws must update their representation or certification regarding any corrective measures they have taken.
Federal agencies are prohibited from awarding contracts to entities or offerors (including applicable subcontractors or service providers) that affirm they have violated federal child labor law and that have failed to implement required corrective measures.
The Department of Labor must annually prepare a list of entities, offerors, subcontractors, and service providers that are subject to this prohibition and conduct suspension and debarment proceedings against them. Federal agencies may not solicit offers, award contracts, or consent to subcontracts with those listed for at least four years.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 920
A BILL
Preventing Child Labor Exploitation in Federal Contracting Act
Sponsor: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) · Introduced Mar 10, 2025 · Government Operations and Politics · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 10, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”