Congress raises penalties for labor violations—and makes bosses personally liable
H.R. 6597 — LET’S Protect Workers Act · Filed by Bobby Scott (D-VA) · 80 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill significantly increases civil penalties for labor law violations across federal workplace statutes, including child labor, wage and hour, occupational safety, mining safety, family and medical leave, and labor relations laws. It strengthens enforcement by allowing withdrawal orders for non-payment in mining, extending personal liability to corporate directors and officers, and redefining recordkeeping violations as continuous until corrected. Most provisions take effect January 1, 2027, with retroactive application to unpaid penalties from before enactment.
Why we flagged it
The bill substantially increases civil penalties across multiple labor and workplace safety statutes (FLSA, OSHA, NLRA, FMSHA, FMLA, ERISA) and strengthens enforcement mechanisms. Its primary functional purpose is to deter labor violations through heightened financial consequences and improved collection procedures.
What the text implies
- Retroactive application to unpaid penalties from before enactment (Section 2.6) may create sudden large liabilities for operators with historical violations, potentially triggering financial distress or operational disruption in mining and other sectors.
- Withdrawal orders for non-payment in mining (Section 2.5) function as operational shutdowns, creating leverage that may incentivize settlement over litigation, shifting enforcement dynamics away from adjudication.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
labor unions (enforcement strengthens bargaining leverage); plaintiff employment attorneys (higher penalties increase case value); federal enforcement agencies (expanded authority and resources)