A bill to temporarily increase the availability of temporary nonimmigrant nonagricultural workers for the purposes of restoring American forests, and for other purposes.

Bill: 117-s-2207
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2021-06-24
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Fires

Foreign labor

Forests, forestry, trees

Land use and conservation

Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor

Temporary and part-time employment

Visas and passports
Latest action: action_date: 2021-06-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4778)

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-06-24
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This bill temporarily exempts certain workers involved with forest health or conservation from the annual limit on visas for temporary nonagricultural workers (H-2B visas).</p> <p>Specifically, for five years starting from the bill's enactment, a visa for a temporary nonagricultural worker entering the United States to perform certain work (such as orchard work, tree planting, nursery care, or harvesting minor forest products) shall not count against the annual limit on H-2B visas. (Currently, only 66,000 H-2B visas may be issued each year, with exemptions for certain types of workers.)</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2207 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 24, 2021 Mr. Thune introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To temporarily increase the availability of temporary nonimmigrant nonagricultural workers for the purposes of restoring American forests, and for other purposes.

1. Exemption from H–2B numerical limitation for certain forestry conservation workers (a) In general Section 214(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1184(g) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (12) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the numerical limitation under paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to principal aliens described in section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) who are employed or have received an offer of employment for the work of— (i) orchard work and seed collection; (ii) tree planting; (iii) nursery care; (iv) forest management; (v) harvesting pine straw or other minor forest products; (vi) timber stand improvement; (vii) herbicide application; (viii) fire prevention and fire management activities; (ix) brush clearing and vegetation management; (x) maintenance of right of ways; (xi) habitat protection and restoration; (xii) watershed protection and restoration; (xiii) land reclamation; or (xiv) other activities with a direct forest health or conservation nexus. (B) The exemptions described in subparagraph (A) shall not apply to landscaping or groundskeeping. . (b) Sunset The amendment made by subsection (a) shall remain in effect until the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.