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Lawmakers hear bill to bar minors from seafood processing after federal investigation found underage workers
Summary
Representative Hendricks and advocates urged a favorable report for a bill that would add seafood packing and processing facilities to the list of prohibited workplaces for minors and increase civil and criminal penalties for violations following federal findings of underage employment in fish processing plants.
A representative told the Joint Committee on the Judiciary that the Legislature should update Massachusetts child‑labor law to explicitly bar minors from seafood packing and processing facilities and to raise penalties after federal investigations revealed illegal employment of children in fish processing.
Why it matters: Testimony argued the seafood processing sector, which relies heavily on subcontracting, has been a locus of child‑labor violations; supporters said statutory clarification and stronger penalties are needed to deter exploitation.
Representative Hendricks testified that he filed House Bill 17‑44 after federal investigators found dozens of children, some as young as 13, working in hazardous conditions at seafood processing plants in New Bedford. “This bill closes loopholes that previously allowed limited fish processing employment under outdated seasonal exceptions,” Hendricks said, noting the legislation would add “seafood packing or processing facilities” to the list of prohibited workplaces for minors under 18.
The bill would also increase civil and criminal penalties, raising the maximum fine for a single violation from $500 to $20,000 and authorizing aggravated penalties up to $100,000 in the most serious cases, Hendricks said. The measure would target exploitative employers and subcontractors who take advantage of seasonal or subcontracted labor.
Supporters emphasized the vulnerability of undocumented minors and unaccompanied children who may lack the means to report abuse. Hendricks said the proposed penalties would be imposed alongside enforcement tools including criminal prosecution and civil remedies.
The committee did not take a vote during the hearing; Hendricks asked for a favorable report so the Legislature could consider strengthening the commonwealth’s child‑labor protections.
Ending: The Judiciary Committee has the bill under advisement; proponents said the measure would align Massachusetts law with federal enforcement findings and improve deterrence against unlawful child labor in hazardous processing environments.
