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A group of Brookline High School students is throwing its weight behind proposed state legislation that would effectively give consumers enough information to decide whether to purchase sweatshop-manufactured products.

Speaking to the board on behalf of the student group Students Advocating for Justice and Education, or "SAJE," Brookline High student Nick Kelly told selectmen that his group was "morally outraged about sweatshops operating around the world ... it's a moral issue for us," Kelly said.

-Kelly cited manufacturing workers in other countries who he said work 16-hour days for as little as 15 cents an hour with no health coverage. The workers produce goods for predictably lower labor costs than could be found anywhere in the U.S., allowing companies to maximize profit margins.

To illustrate his point, Kelly told Board of Selectman Vice Chairman Joseph Geller, "[Your] jacket is probably made in a sweatshop." Kelly went on to suggest that if Geller had to pay a little more for a jacket that he knew came from a manufacturer that provided better pay and possibly some level of benefits for its workers, "you'd probably make that moral choice."

And giving consumers throughout the state the chance to exercise their moral choice to select non-sweatshop manufacturers is at the crux of SAJE's effort to raise awareness and gain state and local support for Beacon Hill legislation.

Massachusetts Senate Bill 2055 would require that companies disclose their manufacturing locations, and allow verification or inspections of those facilities by an independent Advisory Committee. The committee would then have the responsibility to share its findings with the public.

"This is a transparency bill," said Kelly, noting that if the Senate bill is passed by the Legislature, then the workplace practices, policies and conditions among multinational manufacturers would be made available to consumers in Massachusetts.

The enthusiasm of SAJE's membership has caught the eye of the bill's author, Judge Sumner Kaplan, a. former state representative and past Brookline selectman. "These kids are terrific, and their work on this is the real story," Kaplan said before introducing Kelly to selectmen on Tuesday afternoon.

State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, D-Boston, filed Kaplan's bill and is its lead sponsor. It was amended slightly in one committee's review and is currently being discussed in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

"If it can make it out of Ways and Means, I think it's got a good chance to pass," said Kaplan. State Rep. Frank Smizik, D-Brookline, has also lent support and encouragement to the SAJE group, lauding its effort on what he called "a great issue that we as Americans should be fighting for."

For its part, the Brookline Board of Selectmen gave unanimous endorsement to SAJE's resolution in support of Wilkerson's and Kaplan's bill. Next stop for the students is a planned presentation in front of the Brookline School Committee and perhaps a separate resolution in the form of a Town Meeting wan-ant article.

Asked what he's learned from the process to lobby for the anti-sweatshop bill, Kelly responded with enthusiasm. "The most important thing I've learned is the power the individual citizen has in the democratic process," Kelly said. "It's really sort of a radical thing," he added, noting that while, California has passed a similar bill recently, Massachusetts would nevertheless be "setting a precedent" if the Senate bill passes.

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"[Your] jacket is probably made in a sweatshop." Kelly went on to suggest that if Geller had to pay a little more for a jacket that he knew came from a manufacturer that provided better pay and possibly some level of benefits for its workers, "you'd probably make that moral choice."