Sponsor
Rick W. Allen
Representative · R-GA
Representative · R-GA
The bill centralizes and clarifies H‑2A administration and reduces employer cost uncertainty while tightening eligibility, stays, and enforcement rules — trading more predictable, production‑oriented program control for shorter worker stays, potential downward pressure on wages, stricter documentation rules, and reduced access to legal protections.
Small agricultural employers and state agencies gain centralized, clearer oversight and enforcement because the Secretary of Agriculture administers H‑2A rules and employer-misconduct findings can trigger DHS ineligibility, simplifying compliance and deterring bad actors.
Farm employers and small agricultural businesses get predictable maximum labor cost exposure because required wages are capped at 115% of the greater of the Federal or State minimum wage.
Farmworkers and rural communities benefit from clearer housing obligations because employers must provide housing or a HUD‑tied housing allowance, which clarifies standards and guarantees assistance levels.
H‑2A workers and their families face reduced continuity because authorized stays are shorter and there is a two‑month re‑application bar after two years, disrupting family stability and long‑term employment arrangements.
Farmworkers risk lower pay because capping required wages at 115% of the minimum may be below current H‑2A prevailing wages, potentially reducing overall earnings for agricultural laborers.
H‑2A workers and employers face instability because visas can be revoked after a 60‑day work lapse, forcing workers to leave even for temporary disruptions and increasing turnover and travel costs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Restructures the H-2A agricultural guest-worker program: shifts some authority to USDA, alters the definition of agricultural work, restricts eligibility, caps employer wages at 115% of min wage, and limits stay durations.
Official title: To reform the H-2A program for nonimmigrant agricultural workers, and for other purposes.
Introduced November 19, 2025 by Rick W. Allen · Last progress November 19, 2025
Amends the H-2A agricultural guest worker rules to shift several administrative authorities from the Secretary of Labor to the Secretary of Agriculture, change who counts as performing "agricultural labor or services," tighten experience eligibility by barring work done while unlawfully present from counting, revise employer housing and recruitment obligations, cap employer wage obligations at 115% of the greater of the federal or state minimum wage, and shorten and limit periods of authorized H-2A admission with new extension, departure, and re-application rules. The bill changes program scope and eligibility, alters certification and enforcement roles, and adds new procedural limits on nonimmigrant stays and visa revocation tied to work lapses, while making a number of additional technical edits to filing, deemed-approval, and authorized-status provisions.