Sponsors (3)
The bill streamlines and expands the H-2A temporary agricultural program to improve employer hiring and worker portability and to increase transparency, but it also raises risks of lower wages for U.S. workers, new taxpayer and employer costs, worker insecurity, and data/security vulnerabilities.
Small farmers, seasonal employers, and H-2A workers will face faster, simpler hiring and reentry because an online portal plus coordinated DHS/DOL/State processing reduces paperwork and speeds approvals.
H-2A workers and employers will get greater work continuity and flexibility — employers can use portable, multi-year registrations and workers can remain up to a year or move between registered farms in-state, reducing hiring disruptions and helping workers find continuous work.
Employers and policymakers will have clearer wage and program data — a state-plus-$2 wage floor and mandated studies/audits/reporting may create wage predictability and produce evidence to inform future wage or enforcement changes.
U.S. workers and comparable domestic jobs may face downward wage pressure and reduced hiring/training incentives because the bill sets a relatively low presumptive wage (state minimum + $2) and expands temporary foreign labor use.
Taxpayers and federal/state agencies will incur new costs because building/operating the portal and producing GAO/agency studies and recurring reports require administrative, IT, and staffing resources.
Temporary workers face increased insecurity and deportation risk because portability rules limit out-of-state movement, a 60-day window to find new work can trigger removal, and longer allowed stays may reduce enforcement touchpoints.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Creates an online H‑2A portal and registry; raises H‑2A wage to state minimum + $2/hr; launches a 6‑year portable H‑2A pilot; adds greenhouse workers; and mandates GAO reporting.
Introduced July 14, 2025 by Monica De La Cruz · Last progress July 14, 2025
Creates an online H‑2A petition and job‑posting portal that lets employers file and advertise jobs and supports simultaneous processing by DHS, DOL, and State Workforce Agencies; defines an H‑2A wage as the State minimum wage plus $2/hour; sets one‑year authorized admission for H‑2A workers and waives in‑person interviews for certain returning workers who pass background checks. Establishes a 6‑year pilot “portable H‑2A” program allowing eligible H‑2A agricultural workers to move among registered employers within the admitting State, creates a matching platform, caps concurrent portable workers (default 10,000), expands H‑2A eligibility to greenhouse and indoor farm workers, and requires GAO reports evaluating the changes and state reporting mechanisms for workplace violations.