Mark Bednar202-738-0744

Washington DC – Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy, Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing & Insurance, today co-introduced the Ag and Legal Workforce Act. The legislation creates a new, workable agricultural guestworker program, known as the H-2C program, to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers have access to a reliable workforce.

“Wisconsin farmers deserve a modern, commonsense guestworker program to maintain a strong workforce,” said Congressman Duffy. “I’m proud to co-introduce the Ag and Legal Workforce Act to ensure that our farmers have access to the experienced workforce they need for their farms to not only survive, but to thrive.”

In April 2017, Congressman Duffy introduced the Defending the Agricultural Industry’s Requirements Year-round Act of 2017 (DAIRY Act), which expands the H-2A worker program to benefit Wisconsin’s dairy farmers. Currently, agricultural guest worker programs do not work well for dairy because the industry is not seasonal. This bill modifies the existing visa program to allow dairy workers to hold a visa for 18 months, giving Wisconsin farmers certainty about the stability of their workforce.

Background:

A summary of key provisions of the Ag and Legal Workforce Act can be found HERE. Bill text can be found HERE.

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