Keep Food Local and Affordable Act of 2021
This bill freezes the minimum wage for H-2A (temporary agricultural workers) in certain states through December 31, 2022.
Specifically, the bill prohibits an increase to the adverse effect wage rate for H-2A workers in any state (1) that had an unemployment rate of not more than 5% in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' August 2021 report; or (2) where the food price index, according to bureau reports, increased by more than 3% between December 2020 and September 2021 and the governor requests a freeze to the adverse effect wage rate.
(Generally, the minimum wage for an H-2A worker is the highest of the adverse effect wage rate, the prevailing hourly wage or piece rate, the federal minimum wage, or the applicable state minimum wage.)