American Specialty Agriculture Act
Latest action · Sep 8, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 7, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
American Specialty Agriculture Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an H-2C nonimmigrant visa for an alien having a residence in a foreign country which he or she has no intention of abandoning and who is coming temporarily (10-month maximum per contract period) to the United States to perform agricultural labor or services, including the pressing of apples for cider on a farm.
Requires an employer or employer association to file an H-2C petition with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which shall include specified employment-related attestations.
Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) penalties; (2) working conditions, wages, and transportation reimbursement; (3) admissions and extensions of stay; (4) abandonment of employment and worker replacement; (5) legal assistance; and (6) arbitration and mediation.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct investigations and random audits of employer work sites.
Requires an employer to guarantee to offer the worker employment for the hourly equivalent of at least 50% of the work hours during the total anticipated period of employment.
Limits the number of annual fiscal year H-2C admissions. Prohibits the admission of spouses and children of H-2C workers.
Extends coverage under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act to H-2C workers.
Makes the provisions of this Act effective two years after its enactment. Terminates authority to petition for H-2A temporary agricultural workers two years after enactment of this Act.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 13, 2011 to Sep 15, 2011.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NC | Sue Wilkins Myrick | Sep 13, 2011 | |
| R-TN | David P. Roe | Sep 14, 2011 | |
| R-TX | John R. Carter | Sep 15, 2011 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 8, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
- Sep 8, 2011Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Sep 7, 2011Introduced in House
- Sep 7, 2011Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 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.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative remedies
- Civil actions and liability
- Department of Agriculture
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Foreign labor
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Labor-management relations
- Lawyers and legal services
- Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
- Transportation costs
- User charges and fees
- Visas and passports
- Wages and earnings
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 7, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
