U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA) — along with Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH), House Judiciary
Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Andy Harris
(R-MD) — introduced the Strengthen Employment and Seasonal Opportunities Now (SEASON) Act on Wednesday.
The bill would make changes to the H-2B visa program, which U.S. employers use to hire foreign workers for temporary and seasonal jobs, such as expediting the processing of H-2B applications so that U.S. employers have easier access to workers during annual peak times of cyclical seasons when they’re needed most.
The bill also would ensure workers are ineligible for federal public benefits, including Obamacare subsidies and refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
Other provisions aim to ensure the visas only allow for temporary stays.
“Legal, seasonal labor complementing critical Louisiana industries like seafood processing and agriculture drives our state’s economy, but backward policies from the Department of Labor are putting many Louisiana businesses between a rock and a hard place,” Boustany said. “I think we can do better. It’s time to reform this process to support Louisiana jobs and industry.”