Immigrant Labor Shortage Addressed in Congress

Washington, D.C.?EUR??,,????'??+ Congress has introduced legislation designed to provide relief to the current H2B temporary and seasonal labor shortages. H-2B is a program created under the U.S. Department of Labor to allow immigrants to temporarily work in the U.S. to fill nonagricultural jobs in which U.S. workers are in short supply. H-2B allows hiring foreign workers with valid visas for up to 10 months within the CIS (Citizenship Immigration Services) fiscal year (October through September).

The H2B deficit became evident when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced March 9, 2004 that it had already received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap of 66,000 workers, that is, after only five months into the fiscal year, no more immigrant labor was available under the program because of the low ceiling set by Congress. A crystal ball was not necessary to see labor shortages for landscape and landscape distribution businesses starting in the spring.

The landscape community, including the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), sought relief for the numerous businesses that would be impacted by the program short fall. ANLA has worked with lawmakers, green industry organizations and the business community at large to develop a legislative strategy and implement it quickly.

Senator Kennedy has introduced the bipartisan ?EUR??,,????'??Save Summer Act?EUR??,,????'?? (S. 2252) to raise the H2B cap from 66,000 to 104,000 for the current fiscal year. The bill has 16 cosponsors. The companion bill in the House (H.R. 4052) has 13 cosponsors.

Senators Hatch and Chambliss introduced the Republican alternative, ?EUR??,,????'??Summer Operations and Services Relief Reform Act?EUR??,,????'?? (S. 2258), which would exempt all workers who held H2B temporary visas in 2002 and 2003 from this year?EUR??,,????'???s cap; that bill has eleven cosponsors.

?EUR??,,????'??Both S. 2252 and S. 2258 will solve the current H2B crisis,?EUR??,,????'?? observed John Meredith, ANLA director of legislative relations. ?EUR??,,????'??ANLA recommends that green industry participants contact their Senators and urge them to cosponsor both bills, and vote for passage of whichever bill comes up for a vote first.?EUR??,,????'??