Future in Logging Careers Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2727 To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt certain 16- and 17-year-old individuals employed in timber harvesting entities or mechanized timber harvesting entities from child labor laws, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 21, 2021 Mr. GOLDEN (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. GALLAGHER, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. PALMER, Mr. GROTHMAN, Ms. PIN- GREE, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. PALAZZO, and Mr. GUEST) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to exempt certain 16- and 17-year-old individuals employed in tim- ber harvesting entities or mechanized timber harvesting entities from child labor laws, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Future in Logging Ca- 4 reers Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2727.IH H2727 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2727 IH SEC. 2. CHILD LABOR LAW EXEMPTIONS FOR TIMBER HAR- 1 VESTING ENTITIES AND MECHANIZED TIM- 2 BER HARVESTING ENTITIES. 3 The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 4 201 et seq.) is amended— 5 (1) in section 3 (29 U.S.C. 203), by adding at 6 the end the following: 7 ‘‘(z)(1) ‘Timber harvesting employer’ means an em- 8 ployer engaged in— 9 ‘‘(A) the felling, skidding, yarding, loading 10 and processing of timber by equipment other 11 than manually operated chainsaws and cable 12 skidders; 13 ‘‘(B) the felling of timber in mechanized 14 operations; 15 ‘‘(C) the bucking or converting of timber 16 into logs, poles, ties, bolts, pulpwood, chemical 17 wood, excelsior wood, cordwood, fence posts, or 18 similar products; 19 ‘‘(D) the collecting, skidding, yarding, 20 loading, transporting and unloading of such 21 products in connection with logging; 22 ‘‘(E) the constructing, repairing and main- 23 taining of roads or camps used in connection 24 with logging; the constructing, repairing, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2727.IH H2727 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2727 IH maintenance of machinery or equipment used in 1 logging; and 2 ‘‘(F) other work performed in connection 3 with logging. 4 ‘‘(2) ‘Mechanized timber harvesting employer’— 5 ‘‘(A) means an employer engaged in the felling, 6 skidding, yarding, loading and processing of timber 7 by equipment other than manually operated chain- 8 saws and cable skidders; and 9 ‘‘(B) includes an employer engaged in the use 10 of whole tree processors, cut-to-length processors, 11 stroke boom delimbers, wheeled and track feller- 12 bunchers, pull thru delimbers, wheeled and track 13 forwarders, chippers, grinders, mechanical debark- 14 ers, wheeled and track grapple skidders, yarders, 15 bulldozers, excavators, and log loaders.’’; and 16 (2) in section 13 (29 U.S.C. 213), by adding at 17 the end the following: 18 ‘‘(k) The provisions of section 12 relating to child 19 labor shall not apply to an employee between the ages six- 20 teen and eighteen years who is employed— 21 ‘‘(1) in an occupation that the Secretary of 22 Labor finds to be particularly hazardous for the em- 23 ployment of children between the ages of sixteen and 24 eighteen years; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2727.IH H2727 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2727 IH ‘‘(2) by a person who is a parent, or standing 1 in the place of a parent, of such employee; and 2 ‘‘(3) by a timber harvesting employer or a 3 mechanized timber harvesting employer, owned or 4 operated by such person.’’. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:35 Jun 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2727.IH H2727 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS