S5304Referred to Committee

Fairness for Farm Workers Act

Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both

Signed into Law

119th

Congress

2026-08-06

Introduced

Cosponsors

ⓘ

Type

Sponsor

Alex Padilla

Democrat · CA · Senator

Votes with party: 84.6% (882 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/P000145

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (13)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4519-4520)

2026-08-06

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsReferred To · 2026-08-06

Plain-English Summary

Plain-English summary pending. Introduced on 2026-08-06. Check back soon — summaries are generated as bills progress through Congress.

Subjects

Labor and Employment

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 5304 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5304 To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide increased labor law protections for agricultural workers, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 6, 2026 Mr. Padilla (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Warren, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Markey, Mr. Booker, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Alsobrooks, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide increased labor law protections for agricultural workers, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness for Farm Workers Act''. SEC. 2. REDRESSING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AGRICULTURAL WORKERS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938. (a) Ending Discrimination With Respect to Overtime Hours Requirements.--Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 207) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: ``(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), beginning on January 1, 2027, no employer shall employ any employee employed in agriculture (who in any workweek is engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, or is employed in an enterprise engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce) for a workweek that is longer than the hours specified under subparagraph (B), unless such employee receives compensation for employment in excess of the hours specified in such subparagraph at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate at which the employee is employed. ``(B) The hours specified in this subparagraph are, subject to subparagraph (C), as follows: ``(i) Beginning on January 1, 2027, fifty-five hours in any workweek. ``(ii) Beginning on January 1, 2028, fifty hours in any workweek. ``(iii) Beginning on January 1, 2029, forty-five hours in any workweek. ``(iv) Beginning on January 1, 2030, forty hours in any workweek. ``(C) With respect to any employer that employs 25 or fewer employees-- ``(i) the requirement under subparagraph (A) shall begin on January 1, 2030; and ``(ii) the hours specified under subparagraph (B) shall apply as follows: ``(I) The number of hours specified under subparagraph (B)(i) shall begin on January 1, 2030. ``(II) The number of hours specified under subparagraph (B)(ii) shall begin on January 1, 2031. ``(III) The number of hours specified under subparagraph (B)(iii) shall begin on January 1, 2032. ``(IV) The number of hours specified under subparagraph (B)(iv) shall begin on January 1, 2033.''; and (2) by repealing subsection (m). (b) Removing Certain Exemptions for Agricultural Work.--Section 13 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 213) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ``(A)'' and all that follows through the semicolon and inserting ``if such employee is the parent, spouse, child, or other member of the employer's immediate family;''; (2) in subsection (b), by repealing paragraphs (12) through (16); and (3) by striking subsections (h) through (j). (c) Effective Dates.--The amendments made by-- (1) subsections (a)(2), (b)(1), (b)(3), and (d) shall take effect-- (A) with respect to an employer that employs more than 25 employees, on January 1, 2030; and (B) with respect to an employer that employs 25 or fewer employees, on January 1, 2033; and…

Show the remaining 239 words

(2) subsection (b)(2) shall take effect-- (A) with respect to an employer that employs more than 25 employees, on January 1, 2027; and (B) with respect to an employer that employs 25 or fewer employees, on January 1, 2030. (d) Conforming Amendments.-- (1) Fair labor standards act of 1938.--Section 13(c)(1)(A) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 213(c)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ``none of the employees'' and all that follows through ``section 6(a)(5)'' and inserting ``all of the employees of which are employed in agriculture and are employed by an employer who did not, during any calendar quarter during the preceding calendar year, use more than 500 man-days of agricultural labor (within the meaning of the exemption under subsection (a)(6)(A), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Fairness for Farm Workers Act)''. (2) Migrant and seasonal agricultural worker protection act.--Section 4(a)(2) of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 1803(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``for whom the man-days exemption'' and all that follows through the period and inserting ``who did not, during any calendar quarter during the preceding calendar year, use more than 500 man-days of agricultural labor (within the meaning of the exemption under section 13(a)(6)(A) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(6)(A)), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the Fairness for Farm Workers Act).''. <all>

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