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S. 1921Senate118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act

Sponsored by Richard J. DurbinSen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
Introduced June 12, 2023

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 8:44 AM UTC

The Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to ban the employment of children in tobacco‑related agriculture. It treats any work by a person under 18 that involves direct contact with tobacco plants or dried leaves as oppressive child labor. The change applies to employers in the tobacco farming sector and protects minors who might otherwise be hired on tobacco farms.

Key Provisions

  • Amends Section 3(l) of the Fair Labor Standards Act to add a new category of oppressive child labor for anyone under 18 with direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves.
  • Expands the exemption language to specifically include "tobacco‑related agriculture" as a prohibited area for child employment.
  • Rewrites the statutory language to insert the new tobacco‑related provision and adjust related wording accordingly.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 12, 2023

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

June 12, 2023

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

June 12, 2023

Floor Debate

1 member

What members said about S. 1921 on the floor

1 Democrat
Richard J. Durbin
Sen. Richard J. DurbinD-IL · Jun 12, 2023

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Record

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued June 12, 2023

II

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1921

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 12, 2023

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit employment of children in tobacco-related agriculture by deeming such employment as oppressive child labor.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act.

2.

Tobacco-related agriculture employment of children

Section 3(l) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(l)) is amended—

(1)

in the first sentence—

(A)

by striking in any occupation, or (2) and inserting in any occupation, (2); and

(B)

by inserting before the semicolon the following: , or (3) any employee under the age of eighteen years has direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves; and

(2)

in the second sentence, by striking other than manufacturing and mining and inserting , other than manufacturing, mining, and tobacco-related agriculture as described in paragraph (3) of the first sentence of this subsection,.