H.R. 4708: H–2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act
Quick Facts:
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23)
Congress: 118
Date Introduced: July 18, 2023
Last Action: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Wo (July 18, 2023)
H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act or the HIRE Act
This bill addresses issues relating to temporary work visas, including by extending the period of stay for H-2A (temporary agricultural workers) and H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) visas.
Under this bill, the period of stay for an H-2A or H-2B visa shall generally be three years, whereas under current law, these visas are typically valid for up to a year with extensions available for one-year periods for up to three consecutive years. Specifically, this bill establishes that labor certifications and petitions for such visas shall be valid for three years. (Under current regulations, the period of stay for an H-2A or H-2B visa is for the validity period of the underlying petition and supporting labor certification, with some additional time to allow the visa holder to relocate to and from the United States.)
The bill also authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to waive the in-person requirement for an individual seeking to renew an H-2A or H-2B visa within four years of the expiration of the earlier visa.
The Department of Labor must publish on its website information on the number of seasons during which an employer expects to have seasonal employment available, if the employer requests such information.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK-5) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-1) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-2) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. John Duarte (R-CA-13) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL-9) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA-22) (July 18, 2023)
Del. James Moylan (R-GU-At-Large) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2) (July 18, 2023)
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-5) (July 19, 2023)
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH-2) (July 19, 2023)
Rep. David Trone (D-MD-6) (July 25, 2023)
Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC-6) (July 25, 2023)
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN-8) (Aug. 25, 2023)
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11) (Aug. 25, 2023)
Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1) (Aug. 25, 2023)
Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC-13) (Sept. 5, 2023)
Del. Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR-At-Large) (Sept. 13, 2023)
Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN-4) (Sept. 13, 2023)
Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX-8) (Sept. 18, 2023)
Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN-2) (Sept. 27, 2023)
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH-6) (Oct. 2, 2023)
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) (Oct. 2, 2023)
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-7) (Oct. 18, 2023)
Rep. Young Kim (R-CA-40) (Nov. 8, 2023)
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-3) (Dec. 6, 2023)
Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11) (Jan. 10, 2024)
Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA-9) (Jan. 11, 2024)
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-1) (Feb. 13, 2024)
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8) (March 22, 2024)