Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of June 26. Both houses of the General Assembly were in session at press time.

Child Labor

A bill (H.B. 1354) sponsored by state Rep. Regina Young, D-Philadelphia, that would increase the penalties for employers found to be violating Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 28 by a vote of 180-23.

The legislation would increase the penalties for Child Labor Act violations from $500 to $1,000 for initial violations. The fine for repeat violations would be raised from $1,500 to $3,000.

“We cannot have companies thinking that violating Child Labor Act laws is just the cost of doing business here in the commonwealth,” Young said. “There are efforts in state legislatures across the country to weaken child labor laws, and this comes at a time when the U.S. Department of Labor reported a 283% increase in child labor law violations between 2015 and 2022. Here in Pennsylvania, we must make it clear: there will be penalties for exploiting the state’s children.”

The bill now goes to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.

—Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Patient Safety

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 28 approved legislation authored by Rep. Thomas Mehaffie, R-Dauphin, to establish safe patient limits under the care of individual nurses in Pennsylvania hospitals. House Bill 106 would be known as the Patient Safety Act.