Kim Kardashian has thrown her support behind a legislative proposal aimed at ensuring all prison laborers receive at least the federal minimum wage. This move comes one year after she advocated for inmate firefighters who battled the severe wildfires in Los Angeles.
The 45-year-old entrepreneur and founder of SKIMS, known for her dedicated involvement in prison reform initiatives, is backing a bill reintroduced by Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
This proposed legislation seeks to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act, mandating that incarcerated workers are paid the federal minimum wage. It also aims to reduce the hefty deductions often taken for fees, fines, and living costs in prisons.
Kardashian’s support for the bill was inspired by witnessing the efforts of incarcerated individuals fighting last year’s LA fires.
“I personally saw inmates risking their lives to combat the enormous wildfires in Los Angeles,” she shared.
“These individuals displayed remarkable courage and dedication, performing the same perilous tasks as professional firefighters, yet they earned only a few dollars a day,” Kardashian told People.
Kim Kardashian has endorsed legislation that would pay all incarcerated workers the federal minimum wage a year after supporting prison inmate firefighters who fought the devastating LA fires
The reality star went on to say that many of the imprisoned firefighters won’t be afforded the same opportunities on the outside, despite risking their lives previously.
Kardashian explained: ‘In many cases, they’re banned from even applying for firefighting jobs once they’re released. That’s not just unfair, it’s unamerican.’
Booker had first introduced the legislation in 2023 but it stalled after being referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
His office cited ACLU research that said prisoners who work contribute billions of dollars annually to the US economy.
However, they are not paid the same as regular workers, as they are behind bars for their crimes.
Last year, catastrophic infernos – including the Pacific Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire – sparked up amid strong winds, with more than 31 lives lost.
At the time, Kardashian voiced her support for incarcerated individuals who were volunteer firefighters to combat the natural disaster.
She penned, ‘I have spent the last week watching my city burning. And have seen and spoken to many firefighters who are up all night long using every ounce of their strength to save our community.’
‘Thank you to @calfire LA County Fire and Los Angeles City Fire for everything you are doing to save lives, homes and property.’
Democratic Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker’s bill, backed by Kardashian, was reintroduced on Thursday
Kardashian explained that it was seeing incarcerated individuals fighting the Los Angeles fires last year that motivated her to endorse the bill
In another slide, the reality star added, ‘On all five fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, risking their lives to save us.’
Kardashian expressed that they were ‘working 24-hour shifts’ on both the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
‘They get paid almost nothing, risk their lives, some have died, to prove to the community that they have changed and are now first responders. I see them as heroes.’
She explained to her followers that incarcerated firefighters have been paid $1 an hour since 1984 ‘to risk their lives.’
‘It has never been raised with inflation,’ Kim pointed out. ‘It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many died.’
‘This year, there was an agreement to raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to $5/hour, but it got shot down [at the] last minute.’
Kardashian then referenced California Governor Gavin Newsom and wrote, ‘I am urging @cagovernor to do what no Governor has done in 4 decades.’
The TV personality shared a message on Instagram amid the LA fires last January
Kardashian expressed that fire crews were ‘working 24-hour shifts’ on both the Palisades and Eaton Fires
Kardashian then referenced California Governor Gavin Newsom and wrote, ‘I am urging @cagovernor to do what no Governor has done in four decades’
Lastly, the mother-of-four also sent her gratitude to the firefighters who helped save her community, which had been threatened by the Kenneth Fire
In August 2024, she was joined by her sister Kendall Jenner to visit incarcerated firefighters of the Pine Grove and Growlersberg Fire Camps
‘And raise the incarcerated firefighter pay to a rate that honors a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes.’
The SKIMS founder has often spoken out and been an activist for criminal justice reform over the years.
In August 2024, she was joined by her sister Kendall Jenner to visit incarcerated firefighters of the Pine Grove and Growlersberg Fire Camps.
Along with sharing photos from the visit, Kim wrote about meeting the ‘incredible’ incarcerated firefighters who are ‘working so hard at fighting these California fires.’
