A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House that would allow visas to be given to migrant workers in sectors, like construction and agriculture , that are facing acute worker shortages.
The “Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act”, or EWEA, would provide temporary visas valid for three years, with two potential three-year renewals.
Introduced to the House by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), the bill is cosponsored by 10 members of Congress including three Democrats. The bill would work as follows:
• In its first year, EWEA would offer 65,000 so-called H-2C visas. In subsequent years, the number available could fluctuate between 45,000 and 85,000 depending on economic and market conditions.
• To protect American workers, the visas would be available only in areas where the unemployment rate is 7.9% or less. Where it’s higher than that, companies would have to hire local.
• This casts the net widely because, at the moment, the national unemployment rate is 4.3% and no individual state has a jobless rate above 6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Just 10 out of 387 metropolitan areas – around 2.6% of the total – have jobless rates above 7.9%, BLS reports.
• Employers would have to show that a position has gone unfilled for three consecutive months, or was open for 60 days within a 90-day period. Employers must also use E-Verify.
• To qualify for an H-2C visa, applicants must receive a job offer from EWEA-registered employers, and pass a criminal or national security background check.
• Visa holders cannot bring family into the US, and they can’t be from a country that “supports international terrorism, as determined by the Secretary of State”, according to Rep. Smucker’s announcement.
The Associated General Contractors (AGC) released the results of an industry survey last month that found 45% of firms say labor shortages are causing project delays, while 92% of contractors said they were having a hard time filling open positions. It also found that that 28% of respondents reported being affected directly or indirectly by ICE raids initiated by the Trump Administration.
Rep. Smucker introduced a second piece of legislation to aid in the workforce shortage problem. The “USA Workforce Investment Act” would encourage donations to training programs offered by educational institutions, community organizations, and union-affiliated nonprofits. The bill would give individuals a tax credit of up to $1,700 a year for cash donations to eligible nonprofit organizations that offer workforce development or apprenticeship training programs. In announcing the bill, Smucker said the federal government currently spends $111.3 billion a year on four-year college degree programs but only $28.2 billion on career and technical college and training. Both pieces of legislation have received widespread support from construction and agriculture groups.