The Hagstrom Report
Senators ask HHS, Labor to extend comment period for H-2A program
The Hagstrom Report
Friday, November 3, 2023 | Volume 13 Number 219
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., has led a bipartisan group of senators to ask the Health and Human Services Department and the Labor Department to give farmers and ranchers more time to review and comment on planned changes to the H-2A temporary agricultural workers program.
In letters to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, the senators request a 60-day public comment extension for the Homeland Security Department proposed rulemaking, “Modernizing H-2 Program Requirements, Oversight, and Worker Protections” and the Labor Department proposed rulemaking, “Improving Protections for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States.”
“Any proposed regulatory changes to the H-2A program have potential ramifications for the entire American agricultural supply chain and food security,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that our constituents be provided adequate time to thoroughly analyze this proposed rule and its effects on their operations. Moreover, this comment period is occurring while many producers in our states will be occupied with fall harvest and unable to dedicate time to developing meaningful comments.”