AGRI Act of 2019

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to simplify and rename the H–2C worker program, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Agricultural Guest Worker Reform Initiative Act of 2019 AGRI Act of 2019 2. In general (a) Inclusion of dairy or ranch workers Section 101(a)(15)(H) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H) labor on a dairy or ranch and agricultural labor defined in (b) Elimination of 50 percent rule Section 218(c)(3) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188(c)(3) (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking (A) (2) by striking subparagraph (B). (c) Wage rate Section 218(a)(1)(B) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188(a)(1)(B) , except that no employer shall be required to pay a wage rate greater than the greatest of the Federal, State, and local minimum wage rates. (d) Legal assistance from the Legal Services Corporation; Expedited procedures for replacement of an absconded worker Section 218(h) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188(h) (3) (A) The Legal Services Corporation may not provide legal assistance for, or on behalf of, any alien, and may not provide financial assistance to any person or entity that provides legal assistance for, or on behalf of, any alien, unless— (i) the alien is present in the United States at the time the legal assistance is provided; and (ii) the parties to the dispute have attempted, in good faith, mediation or other non-binding dispute resolution of all issues involving all such parties. (B) If an employer and a nonimmigrant having status under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) have an arbitration arrangement, the Legal Services Corporation shall respect the arbitration process and outcome. (C) No employer of a nonimmigrant having status under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) shall be required to permit any recipient of a grant or contract under section 1007 of the Legal Services Corporation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 2996f (4) If any agricultural guest worker absconds from his or her place of employment, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Labor, shall establish expedited procedures for permitting the employer to import a agricultural guest worker to replace the absconded worker. . (e) Length of stay Section 218 of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188 (j) Length of stay An agricultural guest worker who enters the United States may remain in the United States for a period of not more than 11 months. The agricultural guest worker may not enter the United States on an additional visa under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(c) unless the agricultural guest worker first returns to that worker’s country of origin for a period of not less than 1 month. An agricultural guest worker may enter and remain in the United States for a total of not more than 3 years. . (f) Housing Section 218(c)(4) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188(c)(4) (4) Housing Except for agricultural guest workers who are reasonably able to return to their permanent residence (either within or outside the United States) within the same day, the employer will provide housing to agricultural guest workers through one of the following means: (A) Employer-owned housing in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture. (B) Rental or public accommodations or other substantially similar class of habitation in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture. (C) Except where the Governor of the State has certified that there is inadequate housing available in the area of intended employment for migrant farm workers and agricultural guest workers seeking temporary housing while employed in agricultural work, the employer may furnish the worker with a housing voucher in accordance with regulations, if— (i) the employer has verified that housing is available for the period during which the work is to be performed, within a reasonable commuting distance of the place of employment, for the amount of the voucher provided, and that the voucher is useable for that housing; (ii) upon the request of a worker seeking assistance in locating housing for which the voucher will be accepted, the employer makes a good faith effort to assist the worker in identifying, locating, and securing housing in the area of intended employment; and (iii) payment for the housing is made with a housing voucher that is only redeemable by the housing owner or their agent. An employer who provides housing through one of the foregoing means shall not be deemed a housing provider under section 203 of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act ( 29 U.S.C. 1823 . (g) Absconding aliens Section 218(f) of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188(f) If the alien absconds, the employer shall not be liable for any violation of this section. The employer may, in a civil action, recover any costs of transportation paid to the alien and any fees paid pertaining to the importing of the alien. (h) Biometric identification card The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide each nonimmigrant agricultural worker with an identification card that contains— (1) an encrypted, machine-readable, electronic identification strip that is unique to the alien to whom the card is issued; (2) biometric identifiers, including fingerprints and a digital photograph; and (3) physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the card for fraudulent purposes. (i) Trust fund (1) Establishment The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish by regulation a trust fund the purpose of which is to provide, without further appropriation, funds for the administration and the enforcement of the program under this section, for the cost of the cards issued under subsection (k), for a monetary incentive for nonimmigrant agricultural workers to return to their country of origin upon expiration of their visas under the program, and for payment with respect to emergency medical services furnished to nonimmigrant agricultural workers. The Secretary of Agriculture in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury shall promulgate such other regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subsection. (2) Payment of FICA and FUTA amounts into trust fund In the case of employment of a nonimmigrant agricultural worker— (A) the employer shall provide for payment into the trust fund established under paragraph (1) of the sum of— (i) an amount equivalent to the amount of excise taxes which the employer would pay under chapter 21 (ii) an amount equivalent to (and in lieu of) the amount of excise taxes which the employer would otherwise pay under chapter 23 of such Code with respect to such employment; and (B) there shall be deducted from the wages of the worker and paid into such trust fund an amount equivalent to the amount of excise taxes that the employee would pay under such chapter 21 with respect to such employment if it were considered employment for the purposes of such Act. (3) Expenditures from trust fund (A) Use of employer contributions for administration Amounts described in paragraph (2)(A) paid into the trust fund shall be used for the purpose of administering and enforcing the program under this section and for the cost of the cards issued under subsection (k). (B) Use of employee contributions for repayment of employee contributions upon return to country of origin Except as provided in subparagraph (C), amounts described in paragraph (2)(B) paid into the trust fund with respect to a nonimmigrant agricultural worker shall, upon application by the worker at the United States consulate nearest the worker’s residence in the country of origin, be paid to the worker if the worker demonstrates the compliance of the worker with the terms and conditions of the program. (C) Use of employee contributions attributable to HI taxes for emergency medical services for nonimmigrant agricultural workers (i) In general Amounts described in paragraph (2)(B) paid into the trust fund which relate to excise tax in section 3101(b) (ii) Administration The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish rules, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to the payments under this subparagraph, including methods for determining qualifications for payment and the amount of payment to be made with respect to emergency medical services. (iii) Emergency medical services defined In this subparagraph, the term emergency medical services 42 U.S.C. 1395dd (j) Semiannual reports to Congress The Secretary of Agriculture shall report to Congress semiannually regarding the program under this section. Each such report shall include a statement of the number of nonimmigrant visas issued under the program, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program, a description of any problems related to the enforcement of the program, and any recommendations for legislation relating to the program. (k) Program name and Administrator changed Section 218 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1188 (1) by striking H–2A worker agricultural guest worker (2) by striking Secretary of Labor Secretary of Agriculture

Summary: Agricultural Guest Worker Reform Initiative Act of 2019 or the AGRI Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions related to H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) visas, including to eliminate certain requirements to hire U.S. workers, expand the program to include dairy and ranch workers, and shift administrative responsibilities from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill establishes a trust fund to be used to (1) administer and enforce the program, (2) collect a portion of guest worker wages to be paid upon a worker's return to the worker's country of origin, and (3) provide emergency medical services for guest workers. The bill eliminates a requirement that, during the first half of the time period of a guest worker contract, certain employers must hire any qualified U.S. employee who applies to perform the job the guest worker was hired to perform. Furthermore, an employer shall not be required to pay a guest worker a wage higher than the highest of federal, state, or local minimum wage rates. The bill places limitations on when guest workers may receive civil legal assistance for low-income individuals. Employer-provided housing shall be governed generally by USDA regulations, where currently such housing must meet applicable federal, state, or local standards. Employers shall not have to provide housing to workers who can reasonably return to their permanent residence within the same day. An employer may file a civil action to recover transportation costs from a guest worker who absconds from a contract.