Skip to main content
HR 3139 108th Congress House

Youth Worker Protection Act

Official title: To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to reform the provisions relating to child labor, and for other purposes.

Introduced: September 23, 2003 See on congress.gov
Labor and Employment Administrative procedureAgricultural laborAgricultural machineryAgriculture and Food
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Child laborChild safetyCivil actions and liabilityCommerceCongressCongressional reporting requirementsCrime and Law EnforcementCriminal investigationCriminal justice informationDamagesDepartment of LaborDropoutsEducationElementary and secondary educationElementary educationEntertainersFamiliesFines (Penalties)Food industryGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment paperworkGovernment publicityGovernment statisticsHealthHours of laborInjunctionsInternetLabor statisticsLawLegal feesLicensesLocal lawsMachineryMandatory sentencesMedical recordsMedical statisticsMinorsOccupational health and safetyOils and fatsPaper and paper productsParent and childParent-school relationshipsRecidivistsRetail tradeSchool administrationScience, Technology, CommunicationsSeafoodSecondary educationState lawsStudent employmentWeb sitesWorkers' compensation
This bill died when the 108th Congress ended
It never became law before the 108th Congress (2003–2004) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 14, 2003
Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
Oct 1, 2003
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1949-1950)
Sep 24, 2003
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1873-1874)
Sep 23, 2003
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Sep 23, 2003
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action October 14, 2003

Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Youth Worker Protection Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to revise provisions relating to child labor and to set forth new requirements relating to the employment of minors.

Establishes FLSA requirements for employment of minors, including those for: (1) work permits; (2) working-hour restrictions for minors in specified age groups, and in relation to school attendance; (3) notification of serious work-related injuries; (4) data compilation, retention, and reporting by State agencies; (5) prohibition of youth peddling; (6) civil actions for bodily injury, illness, or death; (7) public disclosure of violations; and (8) civil penalties.

Revises FLSA child labor provisions to: (1) set the same minimum age requirements for children in agricultural employment as for those in nonagricultural employment; (2) impose a uniform minimum age for employment in all hazardous occupations; (3) eliminate the Secretary of Labor's authority to issue waivers with respect to certain hand harvest labor by children; (4) eliminate an exception for scrap paper balers and paper box compactors; and (5) declare that youth peddling affects commerce (and thus is subject to Federal regulation).

Directs the Secretary of Labor to promulgate: (1) a rule relating to particularly hazardous occupations for children between the ages of 16 and 18, based on a specified report and recommendations of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and (2) a rule prohibiting employment of minors in seafood processing or in jobs requiring them to handle or dispose of oil or other liquids from fryers.

Requires the Secretary to review: (1) restricted occupation and hazardous occupation orders, at least once every five years; and (2) health and safety data on employment of minors in activities involving certain repetitive motions, or lifting, or working alone or late at night in retail establishments with public contact and cash handling, or entertainment industry work detrimental to them, and report with appropriate rules to Congress.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3139: Youth Worker Protection Act. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3139/
MLA
"H.R. 3139: Youth Worker Protection Act." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3139/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3139, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3139/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3139: Youth Worker Protection Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-3139/)
Report a problem