WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Dave Joyce (R-OH) William Keating (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Andy Harris (R-MD) introduced the bipartisan “H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021” on June 15. The bill would do the following:
Permanently exempt from the 66,000 annual H-2B cap workers who have been admitted to work in the United States on an H-2B visa during one of the past three fiscal years;
Require the Departments of Labor (DOL), Homeland Security (DHS), and State to create a single online filing portal that would eliminate the need to express mail paper documents,
Require DOL to maintain an online jobs registry;
Include some program integrity measures and increase the maximum penalties that could be levied against employers who willingly and repeatedly violate the program’s requirements.
PLNA and AmericanHort urges all of our members and partners to take the time to reach out to their representatives to express support for this legislation. We are working toward a Senate companion bill.
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