United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 5 R · 1 I cosponsors

S 509 — Future Logging Careers Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    1 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 R · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill exempts some 16- and 17-year-olds in logging from child labor laws.

This legislation seeks to allow certain 16- and 17-year-olds to work in logging operations without being subject to specific child labor laws. It defines what constitutes a logging operation and specifies some hazardous positions that remain regulated.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This could potentially increase job opportunities for young people in logging operations.

Bill Text

Sections of law this bill changes

1 section in 1 law

From the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-121).

Fair labor standards · 29 U.S.C. ch. 8 Amends the act as a whole

Also cites: 29 U.S.C. § 203, 29 U.S.C. § 213

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill exempts certain 16- and 17-year-old individuals from child labor laws when employed in logging operations.

  • 29 U.S.C. 203

    (z) `Logging operation'-- (1) means-- (A) a mechanized operation; (B) the bucking or converting of timber into logs, poles, ties, bolts, pulpwood, chemical wood, excelsior wood, cordwood, fence posts, or similar products; (C) the collecting, skidding, yarding, loading, transporting, or unloading of such products in connection with the activities described in this paragraph; (D) the constructing, repairing, or maintaining of-- (i) roads or camps used in connection with the activities described in this paragraph; or (ii) machinery or equipment used in the activities described in this paragraph; or (E) any other work performed in connection with the activities described in this paragraph; and (2) does not include the manual use of chainsaws to fell or process timber or the use of cable skidders to bring the timber to the landing.

    This adds a definition of 'logging operation' to clarify the scope of activities involved.

  • 29 U.S.C. 203

    (aa) `Mechanized operation'-- (1) means the felling, skidding, yarding, loading, or processing of timber by equipment other than manually operated chainsaws or cable skidders; and (2) includes the use of whole tree processors, cut-to-length processors, stroke boom delimbers, wheeled and track feller-bunchers, pull-through delimbers, wheeled and track forwarders, chippers, grinders, mechanical debarkers, wheeled and track grapple skidders, yarders, bulldozers, excavators, and log loaders.

    This adds a definition of 'mechanized operation' to distinguish between equipment used and manual methods.

  • 29 U.S.C. 213(c)

    (8) The provisions of section 12 relating to child labor shall apply to an employee who is 16 or 17 years old employed in a logging operation in an occupation that the Secretary of Labor finds and declares to be particularly hazardous for the employment of children ages 16 or 17, except where such employee is employed by his parent or by a person standing in the place of his parent in a logging operation owned or operated by such parent or person.

    This establishes that certain child labor provisions apply to 16- and 17-year-olds in logging, with exceptions for parental employment.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 541 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (541)

541 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 541 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

labor agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 509?
S 509 is sponsored by Risch, James E. (Republican), King, Angus S., Jr. (Independent), Collins, Susan M. (Republican), Crapo, Mike (Republican), Cornyn, John (Republican), and Sheehy, Tim (Republican).
What is the current status of S 509?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 509?
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