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Ravi Bhalla pushes World Cup worker safety bill forward
The bill is backed by Hoboken Democratic Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla and Jersey City Democratic Assemblywoman Katie Brennan.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Tue, 05, May 2026
- 05:04 EDT
- 35
Assemblyman Ravi S Bhalla / Wikimedia commons
Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla’s bill to safeguard human rights during the 2026 FIFA World Cup advanced today out of the Assembly Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. It will be the first 48-team World Cup in history, featuring matches across 16 host cities.
Multiple matches will be hosted in New Jersey at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which is also scheduled to host the final match.
The bill, titled A3991, would require state agencies, municipalities and other entities involved in hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and related events to submit reports detailing how they are fulfilling the commitments outlined in the NY/NJ Human Rights Report and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Human Rights Framework.
The bill is backed by Hoboken Democratic Assemblyman Bhalla and Jersey City Democratic Assemblywoman Katie Brennan.
Also Read: "Not price gouging," NJ Transit CEO Kolluri on $150 World Cup train tickets
“Big events like the World Cup rely on thousands of workers to staff ticket lines, clean restrooms and maintain facilities late into the night. They are the backbone of what makes an event of this scale possible, and they deserve our support,” said Assemblyman Bhalla.
Highlighting the significance of his bill, he continued, “This bill makes clear that these workers must not be overlooked. It reinforces commitments to fair pay, safe workplaces and protection from exploitation, and it makes sure that they are seen, valued and protected under the law. If New Jersey is going to welcome the world, we have to do it the right way.”
Assemblywoman Brennan noted that the bid to host the World Cup came with a commitment to protect tournament workers, visitors and residents from human trafficking, unsafe working conditions, discrimination and wage theft.
She remarked, “This bill makes sure that the state agencies tasked with keeping people safe are doing their jobs.”
Brennan also hailed the bill as an effort at transparency and accountability. She said, “Right now, the public has no way of knowing whether those commitments are actually being kept. This bill puts those plans on the record before the first match, when there’s still time to fix what’s not working.”
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