I have seen the Senator from Idaho on the floor. The Senator from Idaho. the Senator from Massachusetts. and myself have all played a role in the AgJOBS bill. If I understand what the Senator from Georgia was trying to do. it was to substantially change the H2A program. which is the temporary agricultural worker program. That is a visa program. codified under section 218 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. Under current law. employers of H2A guest workers must pay the State minimum wage. the Federal minimum wage. the States adverse effect wage ratewhich is the market rate or the local prevailing wage. whichever is highest. The Chambliss amendment would have required that H2A employers pay the greater of either the Federal minimum wage or a newly defined prevailing wage. My staff called both departments mentioned on line 6 at page 2 of his amendmentthat is the Occupational Employment Statistics Program and the Bureau of Labor Statistics -neither of which had a prevailing rate they could certify. This amendment. if promulgated. would have presented serious problems for our agricultural workers.
Keywords matched
visa H2A Naturalization Immigration