Boland gets press for his Child Labor Act... In Macomb

The Macomb Journal has a piece examining Rep. Mike Boland's State Prohibition of Goods from Child Labor Act.

MACOMB - International businesses using child labor to make their products may soon be banned from selling their goods to the state of Illinois, pending the signing of the State Prohibition of Goods from Child Labor Act by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The chief sponsor of the legislation, State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, made stops at public libraries in Monmouth and Macomb on Tuesday to announce the passage of the HB 2460 through both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, and to speak about the particulars of the bill.

Approximately one year ago, Boland passed similar legislation that prohibited the state from doing business with companies that produce goods made by religious and political prisoners.

"My feeling is, and I think most of us feel, that American workers, Illinois workers, Union workers, can compete with anyone in the rest of the world in productivity if the playing field is level," Boland said. "But when you have to compete against political and religious prisoners, or in this case, in this bill, trying to stop the use of our tax dollars to buy goods made by child labor, then it's an unfair playing field.