(State Senator Raul Ruiz introduces Legislation)...Ruiz recently introduced the Children's Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety (CARE) Act of 2023.

The Act aims to raise national Labor Law standards for Farmworker children as well as other children working in other occupations. Right now children can begin working in the agricultural fields as young as 12 years of age, with virtually no restrictions on the number of hours that they spend working out in thefields outside of school.. Ruiz said Farm Labor is incredibly danderous work, with one of the highest occupational injury rates in the nation. He said, in fact, every three days a child employee dies while while working in agriculture. The CARE Act will bring in age and hour standards in the workplace, the minimum penalty for child labor violations, increase the maximum criminal penalties for child labor violations and provide protection against pesticide exposure.