Notice2022-20677
Request for Information and Stakeholder Listening Sessions on Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program
Primary source
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Published
September 23, 2022
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentFarm Service Agency
Abstract
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting three listening sessions for public input about a recently announced planned farm labor stabilization and protection pilot grant program focused on improving the resiliency of our food and agricultural supply chain by addressing current labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration through increased use of legal pathways, and improving labor protections for farmworkers. FSA is interested in input from agricultural employer organizations, labor unions, farmworker advocates, farmworkers, and other relevant stakeholders. We invite stakeholders to participate in the listening session that best aligns with the perspective they are able and willing to offer to FSA. All listening sessions will be posted publicly and open to the public for registration.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 184 (Friday, September 23, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 184 (Friday, September 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58054-58056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20677]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
[Docket ID FSA-2022-0013]
Request for Information and Stakeholder Listening Sessions on
Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program
AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of request for information.
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SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is hosting three listening
sessions for public input about a recently announced planned farm labor
stabilization and protection pilot grant program focused on improving
the resiliency of our food and agricultural supply chain by addressing
current labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration
through increased use of legal pathways, and improving labor
protections for farmworkers. FSA is interested in input from
agricultural employer organizations, labor unions, farmworker
advocates, farmworkers, and other relevant stakeholders. We invite
stakeholders to participate in the listening session that best aligns
with the perspective they are able and willing to offer to FSA. All
listening sessions will be posted publicly and open to the public for
registration.
DATES: Registration: To attend any of the listening sessions, you must
register by September 28, 2022.
Listening sessions:
<bullet> Employer organizations: September 28, 2022, 11 a.m. EST;
<bullet> Labor unions: September 28, 2022, 2 p.m. EST; and
<bullet> Farmworker advocacy organizations: September 29, 2 p.m.
EST.
Comments: We will consider comments that we receive by October 24,
2022.
[[Page 58055]]
ADDRESSES:
Registration: To register, go to <a href="http://fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers">fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers</a>.
Comments: We invite you to send comments in response to this
notice. In addition, if you provide oral comments at the listening
session, please also provide your comments in writing. Send your
comments through the method below:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and search for Docket ID FSA-2022-0013. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
All written comments received will be publicly available on
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Cronin, phone (202) 692-4928 or
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dfb3b6b1bbbef1bcadb0b1b6b19faaacbbbef1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="335f5a5d57521d50415c5d5a5d73464057521d545c45">[email protected]</span></a> or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90d6c3d1dfe5e4e2f5f1f3f8d0e5e3f4f1bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bbfde8faf4cecfc9dedad8d3fbcec8dfda95dcd4cd">[email protected]</span></a>. Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means for communication should
contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FSA is hosting three listening sessions for
public input about a recently announced planned farm labor
stabilization and protection pilot grant program focused on improving
the resiliency of our food and agricultural supply chain by addressing
current labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration
through increased use of legal pathways, and improving labor
protections for farmworkers. The farm labor stabilization and
protection pilot grant program will use up to $65 million in American
Rescue Plan Act funding to provide support for agricultural employers
to hire seasonal workers from the northern Central American countries
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and implement robust labor
standards to promote a safe, healthy work environment for both U.S.
workers and workers hired under the seasonal H-2A visa program. The H-2
category allows U.S. employers to bring noncitizens into the U.S. on
temporary agricultural (H-2A) visas.
FSA is interested in input from agricultural employer
organizations, labor unions, farmworker advocates, farmworkers, and
other relevant stakeholders. From agricultural employer organizations,
FSA is interested in understanding the challenges that employers face
in securing a stable workforce; the incentives employers seek from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to hire workers from
northern Central American countries under the seasonal H-2A visa
program; and the enhanced labor standards that employers are willing to
accept in order to receive USDA support to stabilize the workforce.
From labor unions and the broader farmworker advocacy community, FSA is
interested in understanding the scope and set of robust worker
protections, along with the best methods for verification of those
protections, that will help improve labor standards and promote a
safer, healthier work environment for both U.S. workers and workers
hired from northern Central American countries under the seasonal H-2A
visa program as well as the challenges workers currently face in
accessing those protections and proposed solutions within statutory
authority. Questions for each of the groups are provided below. We
invite stakeholders to participate in the listening session that best
aligns with the perspective they are able and willing to offer to FSA.
All listening sessions will be posted publicly and open to the
public for registration.
The listening sessions will provide an opportunity for stakeholders
and interested members of the public to share their thoughts about how
FSA can best support agricultural employers in meeting their labor
needs, while improving worker protections for both U.S. and H-2A
workers.
Each listening session will begin with brief opening remarks from
USDA officials. Individual speakers providing oral comments will be
limited to 5 minutes each; however, if all speakers can be accommodated
within the allotted time for the listening session, individual speaking
times may be adjusted at the written request of the stakeholder (see
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above). As noted above, we
request that speakers providing oral comments also provide a written
copy of their comments by October 24, 2022. All stakeholders and
interested members of the public are welcome to register to provide
oral and written comments; however, based on the listening session time
or topic area constraints, FSA may not be able to allocate time for all
registered attendees to provide oral comments during the listening
sessions.
The purpose of the listening sessions is for FSA to hear from
agricultural employer organizations, labor unions, farmworker advocacy
organizations, farmworkers, and other interested members of the public.
In your comments, provide your input about the farm labor stabilization
and protection pilot grant program, changes, and anything else that may
be helpful for FSA to be aware of or consider. We welcome public input
that we can factor into decisions that need to be made to implement the
provisions of the farm labor stabilization and protection pilot grant
program.
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Date Time Link
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September 28, 2022.............. 11 a.m. EST....... <a href="http://fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers">fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers</a> farmworkers.
September 28, 2022.............. 2 p.m. EST........ <a href="http://fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers">fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers</a> farmworkers.
September 29, 2022.............. 2 p.m. EST........ <a href="http://fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers">fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers</a> farmworkers.
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FSA is interested in all comments but requests input from key
stakeholders on specific topics.
The following are questions for agricultural employers:
1. What barriers and challenges do agricultural employers currently
face in accessing the H-2A visa program? What specific barriers and
challenges do agricultural employers face in hiring workers from
northern Central America?
2. Do agricultural employers have specific feedback on the housing
components of the H-2A visa program? What challenges do you face
related to housing?
3. What incentives are employers seeking from USDA to improve their
ability to hire workers from northern Central American countries under
the seasonal H-2A visa program?
4. What enhanced worker protections and labor standards are
employers willing to accept in order to receive USDA support to
stabilize the workforce? What mechanisms would be helpful in achieving
these enhanced protections and standards?
5. What suggestions do you have to help ensure compliance for any
additional standards required by recipients of grants as part of this
farm labor stabilization and protection pilot grant program?
The following are questions for labor unions:
1. What barriers or challenges do farmworkers, specifically those
in northern Central American countries, face in participating in the H-
2A visa program?
2. What do you recommend to enhance farmworker protections,
including during recruitment and employment? What methods do you
recommend for enforcement and verification of those protections that
will promote a safer, healthier work environment for both U.S. workers
and workers hired from northern Central American countries under the
seasonal H-2A visa program?
3. What suggestions do you have to help ensure compliance for any
additional standards required by
[[Page 58056]]
recipients of grants as part of this farm labor stabilization and
protection pilot grant program?
4. What recommendations do you have to increase farmworker
awareness of their resources and worker rights both for workers within
the United States and for H-2A visa holders in their country of origin?
The following are questions for farmworker advocacy organizations:
1. What barriers or challenges do farmworkers, specifically those
in northern Central American countries, face in participating in the H-
2A visa program?
2. What do you recommend to enhance farmworker protections,
including during recruitment and employment? What methods do you
recommend for enforcement and verification of those protections that
will promote a safer, healthier work environment for both U.S. workers
and workers hired from northern Central American countries under the
seasonal H-2A visa program?
3. What suggestions do you have to help ensure compliance for any
additional standards required by recipients of grants as part of this
farm labor stabilization and protection pilot grant program?
4. What recommendations do you have to increase farmworker
awareness of their resources and worker rights both for workers within
the United States and for H-2A visa holders in their country of origin?
Instructions for Attending the Meeting
All persons wishing to attend the listening session must register
at <a href="http://fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers">fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers</a> by September 28, 2022. To register,
information will be required including:
<bullet> Attendee contact information (email and phone number);
<bullet> Organization representative information (organization name
and representative's title within the organization); and
<bullet> If you would like to speak, provide written comments.
All written comments received will be publicly available on
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
If you require special accommodations, such as a sign language
interpreter, use the contact information above. The listening session
location is accessible to persons with disabilities.
Meeting Accommodation Request
Instructions for registering for this meeting can be obtained by
contacting Linda Cronin by or before the deadline.
If you are a person requiring reasonable accommodation, please make
requests in advance for sign language interpretation, assistive
listening devices, or other reasonable accommodation, including
language translation, to Linda Cronin as identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section above. Determinations for reasonable
accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
USDA Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights
regulations and policies, USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees,
and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are
prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family or parental
status, income derived from a public assistance program, political
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in
any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases
apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by
program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of
communication for program information (for example, braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the
responsible Agency or USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TTY) or (844) 433-2774 (toll-free nationwide). Additionally, program
information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint">https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint</a> and
at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in
the letter all the information requested in the form. To request a copy
of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form
or letter to USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20250-9410 or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#256a646665505641440b424a53"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="622d232122171106034c050d14">[email protected]</span></a>.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
William Marlow,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2022-20677 Filed 9-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-E2-P
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