The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee has introduced new legislation aimed at expanding and modernizing the federal H-2A agricultural guest worker program.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., unveiled the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, known as SAWA, which would make significant changes to how farms can access foreign guest workers.
Under current law, the H-2A program is limited to seasonal agricultural work. SAWA would remove that restriction, opening the program to employers who need agricultural workers on a year-round basis.
The proposed legislation would also revise the way wages are calculated under the program and would work to streamline the overall process for agricultural employers seeking to participate.
