Mr. President. our concern is based on a growing number of actions in which the Department of Labor has ruled that farmers. ginners and certain other agricultural employers. or their employees. are required to register as farm labor contractors. The Department has held that anyone employed in agriculture is a migrant worker. anyone. This and other extremely narrow interpretations of the law by the Department of Labor have had the effect of completely circumventing the intent of Congress. The Farm Labor Contractor Registration Act. or FLCRA as it is commonly known. was enacted by Congress in 1963 and amended in 1974. The purpose of this legislation was to protect migrant agricultural workers from being abused and exploited by unscrupulous crew leaders. To prevent those abuses. the act provides for the registration of crew leaders and establishes certain other requirements. Those required to register must obtain a Certificate of Registration annually and be listed in a public directory in the Department of Labor. Other requirements include: First. being fingerprinted. second. designating the Secretary.of Labor as lawful agent to accept summons in the event of departing jurisdiction. third. disclosing to employees the "charges to be made for (contracting) services." fourth. posting of signs at the job sites indicating terms and conditions of employment. including the rate of pay. fifth. certifying any vehicle used to transport workers has a farm labor contractor liability endorsement with insurance coverage not less than required under the Interstate Commerce Act. and sixth. obtaining authorization from the Department of Labor (which requires a doctors certificate) to operate any vehicle carrying migrant workers. These regulations and requirements were made necessary because of the transient nature of crew leaders and past employment practices. They apply only to crew leadersfarm labor contractors. (sometimes called the "middlemen" who act between farmers) or other agricultural employersand their employees.