Speech #880020540

The third measure. H.R. 4904 regulates the employment of children in agriculture. It does not restrict the employment of children working for their parents on a home farm. but it does amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to extend the child labor provisions thereof to the children of migrant laborers. It also authorizes the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations barring children below age 18 from working on particularly hazardous farm operations. The fourth bill. H.R. 4905. is intended to correct some of the serious abuses that have shown up in every investigation of the migratory labor problem. It establishes a registration system for crew leaders. defined for the purposes of this bill as those middlemen between the workers and growers who recruit 10 or more migrants for interstate agricultural employment. All such crew leaders would be required to register with the Secretary of Labor. and their licenses would be refused or revoked for such violations incident to their activities as. first. lying to workers about wages. hours. and working conditions. second. breaching agreements with the growers. third. breaching agreements with the migrant workers. and fourth. being convicted under a State or Federal law related to gambling. prostitution. alcoholic liquors. or narcotics. The next measure. H.R. 4906. is intended to bring existing knowledge about the conditions of migratory labor to bear upon the problem of devising policies for their improvement. Under the terms of the bill the President would appoint a National Advisory Council on Migratory Labor. to consist of 15 members drawn from among State officials. private citizens. farmers. and from the migratory laborers themselves. This council would be expected- to advise the President and Congress about the functioning of laws. regulations. programs. and policies related to migrant worker problems. It would also have the task of analyzing specific problems and making recommendations for future policies and programs. Finally. I propose a bill to alleviate the extensive health problems created among migrants by grossly inadequate sanitation facilities. This bill would recognize the Federal Governments part in maintaining the general health of the community by providing $2 million annually to farmers. associations. and other appropriate parties to assist in the construction or renovation of sanitation facilities used by migratory farm families. In addition. it contains provision for surveys by States lacking adequate data regarding the need for sanitation facilities.