Written By: Craig Regelbrugge
In H-2B news, AmericanHort continues to push for H-2B cap relief as part of a year-end appropriations bill or any other relevant legislation. A lobbying day is planned for November 2. Also, the Cato Institute is doing an H-2B economic study and needs user input! Details are below.
The Senate Appropriations Committee could take up its version of the fiscal 2018 Department of Homeland Security funding bill as early as next week. We continue to encourage the committee to include H-2B cap relief in the bill. Sadly, cap relief was not included in the 2018 funding bill passed by the House of Representatives last month. The federal government is presently operating under a temporary measure called a continuing resolution. It expires December 8.
Under a continuing resolution, Congress has until December 8 to negotiate a final fiscal 2018 spending package. We continue to push for cap relief in a final spending package.
The H-2B Workforce Coalition, which AmericanHort co-chairs, is planning a Washington, DC lobbying day on November 2 to educate law makers about the need for immediate cap relief, as well as permanent H-2B reform legislation along the lines of S.792, the Save Our Small And Seasonal Businesses Act Of 2017, and H.R. 2004, the Strengthen Employment And Seasonal Opportunities Now (SEASON) Act. Contact Tal Coley (TalC@AmericanHort.org) or me (CraigR@AmericanHort.org) for details on the lobbying day.
Finally, the Cato Institute has launched a study on the economic impacts of the H-2B program. The Cato Institute is an independent, non-partisan public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace. Cato asks H-2B users to complete a survey about their use of the H-2B program by November 1. If you use the H-2B program, please take about 5 minutes to complete this survey.
Visit AmericanHort’s website for more interesting articles and to learn more about the Lighthouse Advocacy Program.
