I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6634 
To increase the capacity of the Department of Labor and labor enforcement 
agencies of States to address labor violations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2023 
Mr. MCGARVEY (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. 
CASAR, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. FROST, 
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. GREEN of Texas, 
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. MANNING, 
Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. POCAN, Ms. POR-
TER, Ms. ROSS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mrs. SYKES, Mr. 
THANEDAR, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, and Ms. 
HOYLE of Oregon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To increase the capacity of the Department of Labor and 
labor enforcement agencies of States to address labor 
violations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; DEFINITIONS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Workers Protecting Our Wage Earners Rights Act’’ or 
the ‘‘Workers POWER Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour 
Division and Occupational Safety and Health Ad-
ministration require robustly increased appropria-
tions to adequately address the size and scope of 
oversight of the United States workforce. 
(2) The continued presence of child labor viola-
tions, wage and hour violations, and occupational 
safety and health violations are a scourge on the na-
tional conscience and must be rebuked with the full 
resources, funding, and strengthened laws necessary 
to address these violations. 
(3) This necessary increased funding for the 
Department must be leveraged to invest in a 
strengthened workforce through increased full-time 
employees, incentive structures, compensation, and 
other mechanisms to support the dedicated public 
servants of the Department in enforcing Federal 
labor law. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Administration’’ means the Occu-
pational Safety and Health Administration; 
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(2) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the Depart-
ment of Labor; 
(3) the term ‘‘Division’’ means the Wage and 
Hour Division of the Department; and 
(4) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Labor. 
SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR POST-SEC-
ONDARY STUDENT PROGRAM, RECENT GRAD-
UATES, AND PMF PROGRAMS. 
(a) POST-SECONDARY STUDENT PROGRAM.— 
(1) NEW POSITIONS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than two 
years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Labor shall establish at 
least five paid post-secondary student program 
positions within the Wage and Hour Division of 
the Department of Labor. Such positions shall 
be— 
(i) located at the office of the Division 
located in Washington, DC; 
(ii) part of the post-secondary student 
program under the Pathways Programs at 
the Department; and 
(iii) shall be in addition to any post- 
secondary student program positions at the 
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Department as of the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(B) OTHER POSITIONS.—In addition to the 
positions established under subparagraph (A), 
not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish at least two additional internship posi-
tions in each Division regional office. 
(2) COMPENSATION; STATUS.—Any intern par-
ticipating in the Department post-secondary student 
program— 
(A) shall be entitled to an hourly rate of 
pay that is not less than the annual rate of 
basic pay for step 1 of GS–7 level (computed on 
an hourly basis under section 5504 of title 5, 
United States Code); and 
(B) shall not be considered a Federal em-
ployee for any purpose other than for purposes 
of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, 
(relating to compensation for injury) and sec-
tions 2671 through 2680 of title 28, United 
States Code (relating to tort claims). 
(b) RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM.—Not later than 
two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall increase the number of positions under the 
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Recent Graduates program at the Department by 100 per-
cent. 
(c) PMF.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Office of Personnel Man-
agement, in consultation with the Secretary, shall estab-
lish one additional Presidential Management Fellowship 
Program position at each of the Division and the Adminis-
tration. 
SEC. 3. CHILD LABOR FELLOW POSITION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish within each of the Division and the Administration 
at least five additional fellowship positions. Each such po-
sition shall— 
(1) work with investigatory teams to enforce 
labor rights violations regarding children; 
(2) serve as additional investigators or provide 
other functions, as determined by the Secretary; and 
(3) be a time-limited appointment of one-year, 
except that the Secretary may modify the time-pe-
riod of such appointment as the Secretary deems 
necessary. 
(b) APPOINTMENT.—Fellows in the positions under 
subsection (a) shall be competitively selected, in such form 
and manner as the Secretary may prescribe, from State 
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