During the first 2 months of 2002, $116.7 billion of construction was put in place, nearly the same (+/-5 percent) as the $116.2 billion for the same period in 2001. (Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce)

The American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) recently announced that it has been "actively engaged with the state department" in the process of determining options for fixing the H-2B guest worker program used by service industries including Landscape Contractor businessses.

State Department contractors met at ANLA headquarters last February to examine the sticking points of the H-2B program from both administrative and contractor viewpoints. ANLA's leadership in the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC) is making strides toward H-2B reform possible. ANLA also worked to "identify best practices throughout the extensive process of getting foreign workers to worksites."

ANLA reports that there is a strong sentiment within the State Department to create a new guest worker category based on information gleaned from ANLA and other national employers.

For more information visit www.anla.org.