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In response to growing concern over hostile administration of the H-2B program by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Homeland Security, a House Small Business subcommittee held a hearing on June 12 to look into the growing regulatory and legal chaos affecting program users. The hearing, presided over by Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), mostly spotlighted reliance on the program by seasonal resorts, and challenges these businesses face trying to use the only legal seasonal labor safety net available to many employers. H-2B is also extremely important for the landscape contracting and services industry. Rep. Rice, in a blog post published in The Hill, made the case for why H-2B is important in industries with peak season hiring needs.

Filed under: immigration • H-2B • legislation

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It’s a classic good news/bad news story. With the Senate into Week Two of considering a broad immigration overhaul bill that is good for the green industry, several hundred green industry professionals have already sent messages to their Senators urging support for S.744. That’s the good news. The bad news is, that number should be in the thousands!

There is still time, but not much. If you want to have a say in the outcome, do it now. Visit the ANLA/Lighthouse Program’s Legislative Action center, where you can send personalized messages to your Senators in just a few clicks.

Filed under: immigration • H-2A • H-2B • legislation

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Employers waiting for years in a legislative desert for some needed rain in the form of immigration reform and workforce solutions are one small step closer to relief. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted 82 to 15 on a procedural motion to move to consider S.744, the immigration bill. The process of considering amendments to the bill is expected to continue through the month of June.

Filed under: immigration • legislation

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Monday evening, the Senate passed the 2013 Farm Bill (S. 954, Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013) by a vote of 66-27. The strong support for the bill from both sides of the aisle puts significant pressure on the U.S. House to follow suit when they begin debate on their version of the bill next week

Filed under: Farm Bill • legislation

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Many ANLA members offering landscape services turn to the H-2B visa program to supplement their workforce when too few American workers apply for seasonal jobs. Unfortunately, efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to add layers of new bureaucracy and an inflated wage structure threaten the program, and have resulted in a tangle of litigation and Congressional intervention.

Filed under: immigration • H-2B • legislation