A comprehensive analysis of child labor and government responsiveness was undertaken for the past 10 years, based on interviews, surveys, and questionnaires of officials in all 50 states, extensive library research, and reviews of legal, demographic, economic, public health, and other literature. Some of the highlights of the research findings are the following: (1) about 5.5 million children, aged 12-17, work in the United States; (2) the average 15-year-old works 17 hours a week, and the average 16- or 17-year-old works 21 hours a week; (3) 139 children died in job-related accidents in 1990, about one-third in farm-related accidents; (4) there were approximately 72,000 job-related injuries to working children in 1990--the majority in the restaurant industry; (5) federal laws regarding child labor are rarely enforced and inspections rarely are made; (6) the Department of Labor has worked to loosen child labor regulations on 14- and 15-year-olds; (7) many states have very weak child labor programs; (8) industry groups, led by the fast-food industry, are lobbying to weaken child labor programs; and (9) parents and schools, as well as the government, could take steps to protect children from abusive labor practices if they were better informed of the risks of child labor and the future implications for children's education. (The report includes three appendixes: information on interpreting figures in the report; the formula used to determine the number of injuries for an age group and an industry; and a matrix comparing existing law with proposed child labor legislation--S.600 and H.R. 2076.) (KC)