ISSUE 1084 GOODLATTE INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN H-2A BILL Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee Bob Goodlatte and Congressman Marion Berry (D-AK) recently introduced H.R. 3857, the "Temporary Agricultural Labor Reform Act of 2005," legislation to modernize and improve the flexibility of the temporary visa program (H-2A), permitting foreign workers to enter the U.S. on a temporary or seasonal basis to engage in unskilled agricultural work. This legislation simplifies and shortens the H-2A application process, permitting foreign workers to enter the U.S. to do unskilled agricultural work. Specifically, H.R. 3857 does the following: · Maintains the current requirement that employers actively recruit U.S. workers for agricultural job · Does not provide amnesty for those
who are in the U.S. illegally · Allows workers who are currently
in the country illegally a one-time chance to return home
and re-enter legally to participate in the H-2A program · Removes incentives for illegal entry
and frees up enforcement assets to strengthen border security · Eliminates the Adverse Effect Wage
Rate and replaces it with a prevailing wage standard · Ensures that employers who misrepresent
their need for foreign workers will be disqualified from the
program · Gives the agriculture industry a
more functional and streamlined program by simplifying the
application process “As you can see, the bill makes several needed improvements to the present H-2A guest worker program,” said Walter Kates, FFVA director, Labor Relations Division.
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