The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 14 on Capitol Hill entitled “Examining the Role of Lower-Skilled Guest Worker Programs in Today’s Economy.”
The subcommittee’s goal at the hearing is to educate its members about lower-skilled, non-agricultural guest workers and guest worker programs. As part of this process, they will examine the issues that employers have with the H-2B visa program, including practical and regulatory actions and the Department of Labor’s administration of the program. Additionally, the subcommittee is interested in thoughts on the DOL’s proposed wage and program rules.
The subcommittee will consider the views of members of the H-2B Workforce Coalition which includes the NTRA as well as other associations representing industries such as forestry, seafood processing, resort/hospitality and landscaping – industries that rely upon lower-skilled, non-agricultural guest workers.
In the horse racing industry, trainers regularly use the H-2B visa program to hire stable help. The program is at risk due to recent efforts by the DOL to impose onerous changes that would severely limit the usefulness of the H-2B program.