Vermont is now the seventh state in the nation to declare itself “sweatshop-free.”
Governor Jim Douglas signed a bill in Brattleboro yesterday that governs state purchases of clothes and other products.
The law requires state government to investigate its suppliers and try to make sure goods are purchased from companies that respect their workers’ human rights.
Advocates say too many overseas manufacturers force people to work in inhuman conditions for very low wages.
The proposal was pushed by a group of students at Brattleboro Union High School.