Help Extend The H-2B Repeat Worker Exemption

If you’ve been in this industry for any length of time and have a business of any decent size, then you’ve probably run up against the issue of trying to find and hire qualified labor.  Well, many times the only options available are foreign workers.

Unfortunately, hiring these hard-working, willing workforce can be a huge challenge if you want to stay on the right side of the law, something I STRONGLY encourage so as to help maintain a high standard of quality.

At any rate, as a member of PLANET, one of the industries leading organizations, I received this email yesterday asking for our help in getting pushed through some recently proposed legislation that will help extend the H-2B visa program.

Please, do your part to help push this legislation through. Here’s the full text of the email:

Action Needed by PLANET Members Today! H-2B LEGISLATION INTRODUCED! EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT! Bills to extend the H-2B repeat-worker exemption were introduced in both the House and Senate last week. S. 988, introduced in the Senate by Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), John Warner (R-Va.), and others, would extend the H-2B repeat-worker exemption for five years. The House version of the bill, H.R. 1843, introduced by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), and Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), would make the exemption permanent. ACTION STEPS: Please fax or e-mail a letter to your member of Congress and Senators, expressing support for the bills through the Legislative Action Center on PLANET’s Web site today or CLICK HERE. The PLANET Web site has form letters that are programmed to send a thank you to those that have cosponsored the bills and a request to cosponsor if they are not yet cosponsors. You’re encouraged to personalize the letters with information about your company or how important the H-2B program is to you. The site will be updated periodically as we get new cosponsors. If you do not use our Web site, which records who sent letters, please fax us copies of your letters so we can track this information. If you need assistance, please contact PLANET’s Director of Government Affairs Tom Delaney at tomdelaney@landcarenetwork.org; (770) 925-7113 or (800) 395-2522. Finally, use the next two weeks to visit personally with your elected officials. Congress is on recess for the next two weeks, which means that your Member of Congress and Senators are home in their state making public appearances and visiting with constituents. Use this time to meet with them at their district offices and bring other local employers with you. Conveying strong support for this legislation to your elected officials is needed to bring about a lasting solution to the green industry’s labor shortage. Questions? Please call or e-mail Tom Delaney, PLANET’s director of Government Affairs at tomdelaney@landcarenetwork.org; (770) 925-7113 or (800) 395-2522. Background information on this issue is listed in PLANET’s online Legislative Action Center.

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