Agricultural Guest Worker Reform Initiative Act of 2021

Bill: 117-hr-2086
Sponsor: Rep. Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" [R-AR-1]
Introduced: 2021-03-19 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Department of Agriculture
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Employee benefits and pensions
Employee hiring
Employment taxes
Executive agency funding and structure
Foreign labor
Government information and archives
Government trust funds
Health care costs and insurance
Housing finance and home ownership
Immigration status and procedures
Labor-management relations
Lawyers and legal services
Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
Sales and excise taxes
Visas and passports
Wages and earnings
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: 

Agricultural Guest Worker Reform Initiative Act of 2021 or the AGRI Act of 2021 

 
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.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-10-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
action_date: 2021-03-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2021-03-19
text: Introduced in House