Sponsors
The bill lowers and stabilizes agricultural labor costs and streamlines program administration for employers, while tightening eligibility and weakening some worker protections and legal supports—shifting benefits toward employers but creating risks for migrant and domestic worker protections.
Farmers and agricultural employers can limit H-2A wage obligations to at most 115% of the highest federal or state minimum wage, reducing labor costs for seasonal agricultural operations.
Temporary agricultural workers (H-2A) receive a requirement that employers provide no-cost housing or HUD-based housing allowances, improving living conditions and housing protections.
Inspectors, employers, and workers get clear, 28-day inspection timelines and housing standards, creating predictable enforcement schedules and more consistent housing compliance.
H-2A workers (immigrant agricultural laborers) may receive lower wages if employers pay only up to 115% of the minimum wage, reducing earnings for seasonal farmworkers.
Shifting program authority from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture could reduce emphasis on labor protections and weaken enforcement of worker safety and wage standards for agricultural workers.
Limiting H-2A/H-2B stays (totaling 2 years with a 2-month reapplication bar and strict 60-day lapses) can force shorter, more abrupt departures for foreign workers and disrupt farm labor continuity in rural communities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Revises H‑2 program rules: shifts authority toward Agriculture, expands the definition of agricultural work, limits visa stays, caps employer wages, and tightens eligibility and lapse rules.
Introduced November 19, 2025 by Rick W. Allen · Last progress November 19, 2025
Makes a set of changes to the temporary agricultural and some non‑agricultural guest worker rules. It moves some administrative duties from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture, expands the statutory list of activities counted as "agricultural labor or services," changes eligibility and experience rules for H‑2 workers, removes a prior 50% rule, caps employer wage obligations relative to minimum wage, and adds limits and conditions on the length of certain nonimmigrant stays and reentry rules. These changes mainly affect farm employers, seasonal and temporary foreign workers, and federal agencies that administer the programs by shifting who decides recruitment and compliance questions, altering wage and eligibility calculations, and tightening certain stay/leave requirements for workers.