The House Approporiates Committee is trying to address critical agricultural labor issues through a funding bill. The bill, which dictates funding for the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, aims to stabilize labor costs and regulations for farmers and ranchers across the country.
John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), highlighted key provisions in the bill that could significantly impact the agricultural sector.
“The provisions in this bill really seek to provide some stability in an area that we haven’t really had a lot of stability over the past couple of decades as it relates to our labor shortages and our labor costs in farm country,” Boatright said.
One of the central components of the bill is a freeze on the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), which determines the minimum wage for foreign agricultural workers. This freeze could provide much-needed relief to farmers facing escalating labor costs.
Moreover, the bill addresses recent Department of Labor (DOL) rules that have caused uncertainty among agricultural employers. Boatright emphasized that these provisions aim to bring consistency and clarity to labor regulations, offering short-term relief and certainty for both farmers and farm workers.
Ahead of the markup, the AFBF expressed support for the bill in a letter to the Appropriations Committee leadership, acknowledging the challenges involved in crafting legislation that meets the needs of the agricultural community.
“They have included some positive labor provisions that would provide some short-term relief and certainty for farmers and ranchers, so we, in that letter, recognized the work that the appropriators have done and urged the adoption of those provisions,” Boatright noted.
In addition to the AEWR freeze and regulatory consistency, the bill tackles a flurry of recent rulemakings that have impacted the agricultural labor landscape, aiming to streamline and clarify these rules for stakeholders.
The Appropriations Committee’s consideration of this funding bill represents a crucial step in providing support to the agricultural sector, which has long grappled with labor shortages and fluctuating regulatory environments.
For farmers and ranchers eagerly awaiting legislative action on these issues, the provisions in this bill offer a glimpse of potential relief on the horizon.
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AFBF
