{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-cleaver-kamlager-dove-introduce-legislation-strengthen-workplace", "Reps. Cleaver, Kamlager-Dove Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Workplace Safety Standards for Incarcerated Workers", "2023-05-12", "2023", "2023-05", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", "cleaver", "https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "(Washington, D.C.) \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) introduced the Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act to enhance workplace safety standards and ensure protections for incarcerated workers in federal, state, and local correctional facilities. Companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) earlier this year.\n\n\u201cWhether they are working in Congress or in a correctional facility, every worker in America deserves to have the peace of mind in knowing that they are safe in their workplace\u2014but that often isn\u2019t the case for those who are incarcerated,\u201d said Congressman Cleaver. \u201cSadly, incarcerated Americans are not afforded the same labor protections that have become commonplace in nearly every other workplace. I believe that\u2019s wrong, and today I\u2019m proud to partner with Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove and Senator Booker to introduce the Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act in the House of Representatives to rectify this deeply unfair and damaging oversight in America\u2019s labor laws.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad to join Rep. Cleaver and Sen. Booker to introduce this bicameral legislation that ensures protections for incarcerated workers,\u201d said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. \u201cIt is unfathomable that prison workers continue to be exploited and put in dangerous conditions with little to no training. The Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act will increase accountability for our prison system and provide safer and more humane work conditions for the prison workforce. I will always fight to improve the quality of life for our prisoners and be an advocate for criminal justice reform.\u201d\n\n\u201cDignity and safety are fundamental rights that should be extended to all workers, including those who are incarcerated,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cThis bill takes an important step towards ending the unjust labor exploitation of incarcerated workers by extending to them the same workplace safety standards and labor protections enjoyed by workers in nearly every other workplace. I applaud Representatives Cleaver and Kamlager-Dove for their leadership in introducing this legislation in the House, and I remain committed to fighting for the rights and protections of all workers, without exception.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor too long, our laws have allowed prisons and jails across the country to exploit the labor of incarcerated people, all while paying them pennies per hour and denying them basic workplace protections,\u201d said Jennifer Turner, ACLU human rights researcher who authored a June 2022 ACLU report on prison labor. \u201cIt\u2019s high time we correct these injustices and treat workers because of nonexistent workplace safety guarantees for workers in prisons and jails. This bill would finally recognize these workers as employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and ensure they are not forced to work in hazardous conditions without training and precautions.\u201d\n\nTo ensure correctional facilities are providing safe and sanitary workplaces for incarcerated workers, the Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act would:\n\nAmend the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act to explicitly include correctional facilities operated by state and local governments as employers and incarcerated workers as employees;\n\nRequire states with state occupational safety and health plans to include incarcerated workers and require correctional facilities to issue regular reports to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) on labor conditions and any potential violations of workplace safety laws;\n\nRequire the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to apply the occupational safety and health programs for BOP employees to incarcerated workers and require annual reports; and\n\nCreate a grant program for state and local governments to amend their occupational health and safety plans to cover incarcerated workers and to support enforcement.\n\nThe Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act comes on the heels of separate legislation Rep. Cleaver has introduced in recent weeks to reduce recidivism, increase educational and job training opportunities, and end unfair and exploitative labor practices in correctional facilities nationwide.\n\nThe Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act is endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Brennan Center for Justice, Center for Law & Social Policy, Economic Policy Institute, Human Rights Watch, Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, National Employment Law Project, Safer Foundation, Tzedek Association, and Vera Institute of Justice.\n\nThe Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act is co-sponsored by Representatives Shontel Brown (D-OH), Troy Carter (D-LA), Chuy Garc\u00eda (D-IL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).\n\nOfficial text of the Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:55:44Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-cleaver-kamlager-dove-introduce-legislation-strengthen-workplace"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0949918068945408, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}