Rep. Doug Collins calls for changes in H-2A program

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking before a House Judiciary subcommittee, Wednesday, Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) called for changes in H-2A program — a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes lawful admission into the United States of temporary non-immigrant workers to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.

“My Congressional district in northeast Georgia is home to a vast agriculture industry and hardworking farmers, ranchers, growers and processors who contribute to America’s economy and our communities every day,” Collins said. “In our corner of the state, more than 10,000 farm operators grow everything from peaches to cattle and from chicken to strawberries.”

Citing Jaemor Farms which is located in northeast Hall County near the Habersham County line, Collins, “Farmers, like Drew Echols of Jaemor Farms, need help harvesting crops. Georgia peaches are fickle, so timing is everything — but the H2A system offers almost no flexibility. This means extra hands may arrive too early or too late to get fruit off the tree and into that homemade pie. Workers who arrive before crops have ripened aren’t allowed to find work on other farms while they wait.”

Collins pointed to the diffuculty of H-2A workers being certified.

“Right now, to secure an H-2A employee, growers must start with the Labor Department’s certification process. By law, the department must certify there are not sufficient ‘able, willing, and qualified’ U.S. workers to fill the job and employing an H-2A worker ‘will not adversely affect the wage or working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers,'” he said.

Another issue, he said, is the cost of the H-2A program.

“Many times, growers must pay over a thousand dollars in fees per worker to the government and to a recruiter,” Collins said. “In many states, agriculture employers are required to pay artificially high wage rates. The Adverse Effect Wage Rate is over $11 per hour at its lowest and over $15 an hour at its highest, depending on the state. On top of these costs, growers must provide transportation and housing to H-2A workers once they arrive in the U.S.”

 

 

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