HOUSE 4708118th CongressReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

H–2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act

Last Action: 7/18/2023

Actions

2023-07-18Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2023-07-18Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2023-07-18Introduced in House
2023-07-18Introduced in House

CRS Summary

As of 2023-07-18 (00)

H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act or the HIRE Act

This bill addresses issues relating to temporary work visas, including by extending the period of stay for H-2A (temporary agricultural workers) and H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) visas.

Under this bill, the period of stay for an H-2A or H-2B visa shall generally be three years, whereas under current law, these visas are typically valid for up to a year with extensions available for one-year periods for up to three consecutive years. Specifically, this bill establishes that labor certifications and petitions for such visas shall be valid for three years. (Under current regulations, the period of stay for an H-2A or H-2B visa is for the validity period of the underlying petition and supporting labor certification, with some additional time to allow the visa holder to relocate to and from the United States.)

The bill also authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to waive the in-person requirement for an individual seeking to renew an H-2A or H-2B visa within four years of the expiration of the earlier visa.

The Department of Labor must publish on its website information on the number of seasons during which an employer expects to have seasonal employment available, if the employer requests such information.

Cosponsors (20)

Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ)
Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
Stephanie Bice (R-OK)
Chris Pappas (D-NH)
Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ)
Michael Lawler (R-NY)
John Duarte (R-CA)
Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
Darren Soto (D-FL)
Monica De La Cruz (R-TX)
Shri Thanedar (D-MI)
Maria Salazar (R-FL)
David Valadao (R-CA)
James Moylan (R-GU)
Don Bacon (R-NE)
Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR)
Ann Kuster (D-NH)
David Trone (D-MD)
Kathy Manning (D-NC)

Read on Congress.gov

Sourced from Congress.gov (public domain).

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