Nonpartisan civic infrastructure
AllCiv·Legis1
·

S. 5299

BillFederalSenateIn Committee
To streamline the application process for employers seeking H–2A agricultural workers, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · November 12, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Congress
118th (2023–2025)
Introduced
November 12, 2024
Cosponsors (0)
None
View PDF ↗

Summary

Highlight any text to annotate
This bill streamlines the process for agricultural employers to hire temporary H-2A workers from other countries. It expands the types of agricultural work eligible for H-2A visas to include livestock, dairy, poultry, equine, aquaculture, and seafood processing work, and allows multiple employers to submit joint visa petitions together. The legislation creates an online filing system for H-2A applications within one year, requires faster responses to visa denials or delays, and simplifies petitions for rehiring previous H-2A workers and for employers needing workers during different seasons throughout the year. Additionally, the bill provides legal protection to employers who use third-party preparers and weren't aware of application errors, and freezes agricultural wage requirements at 2023 levels for three years. These changes are intended to reduce paperwork burden on farmers while maintaining worker protections.

Take Action

Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.