To authorize the Secretary of Labor to retain in effect the adverse effect wage rate for a period of 2 years if the Secretary determines that there is not a valid method to calculate such rate, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor for two years to retain the existing adverse effect wage rate for H-2A agricultural workers if the Secretary determines there is not a valid method to calculate a new rate.
Who Benefits and How
Agricultural employers using H-2A labor could gain wage-rate stability and avoid increases tied to a disputed calculation method.
Who Bears the Burden and How
H-2A agricultural workers could face slower wage growth, and the Department of Labor would need to decide whether the current calculation method is invalid and then administer the temporary freeze.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to keep in effect the adverse effect wage rate already in force on enactment.
- Limits that authority to a two-year period following enactment.
- Applies the authority to wages required under 20 C.F.R. 655.1308 for H-2A nonimmigrants.
- Conditions the authority on the Secretary determining that there is not a valid method to calculate the rate.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor for two years to retain the existing adverse effect wage rate for H-2A agricultural workers if the Secretary determines there is not a valid method to calculate a new rate.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Labor, Immigration
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor for two years to retain the existing adverse effect wage rate for H-2A agricultural workers if the Secretary determines there is not a valid method to calculate a new rate.
Policy Domains
Main Provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Agricultural employers using H-2A labor who could avoid higher wage requirements during the temporary freeze
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- H-2A workers who could miss wage increases and Labor Department officials administering the temporary policy
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Moolenaar (for himself, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Agricultural employers using H-2A workers whose wage obligations could stay at the existing rate, H-2A agricultural workers whose pay could remain below a recalculated adverse effect wage rate
Positive-direction: Agricultural employers using H-2A workers whose wage obligations could stay at the existing rate
Negative-direction: H-2A agricultural workers whose pay could remain below a recalculated adverse effect wage rate
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Labor
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology