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House Agriculture committee advances HCR 77 asking Congress to reclassify crawfish work under H-2A
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Summary
The House Committee on Agriculture moved House Concurrent Resolution 77 favorably, urging Congress and federal agencies to reclassify crawfish industry job duties as agricultural labor under the H-2A program to address worker shortages after H-2B caps and denials affected processors.
The House Committee on Agriculture moved House Concurrent Resolution 77 favorably after members said the resolution is intended to press federal officials to reclassify crawfish industry job duties as agricultural labor for the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.
A committee staff member, Alicia, read the resolution: "House Concurrent Resolution 77 by Chairwoman Butler memorializes the United States Congress, the President of The United States, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Louisiana congressional delegation to take all necessary and appropriate actions to pass the H-2B certified seasonal employer designation and reclassify all job duties of the crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for the purposes of the H-2A, Temporary Agricultural Worker Program." The reading framed the committee’s purpose: to ask federal authorities to act before next year’s decisions on H-2A/H-2B policies.
The chair explained the urgency, saying she had worked with state senate leadership and with federal contacts because Congress is currently deciding H-2A and H-2B policy and caps. She said local processors had been unable to secure enough H-2B workers last year and that some large manufacturers and processors in her area had shut down as a result.
Representative Henry thanked the chair and described the local impact, saying his district is "heavy in crawfish industry and rice industry" and that processors had trouble getting H-2B workers, which he called "detrimental to us." Representative Amade said she would coauthor the resolution and moved to report it favorably from the committee.
Representative Shammelhorn expressed reservations about reliance on guest-worker programs but said he supported moving the resolution. He argued that local workers could fill jobs if wages were higher, and noted, "their average wage is $18 an hour," adding that employers cover travel, background checks and housing costs for incoming workers.
The committee recorded that Representative Omidy moved to move HCR 77 favorably. The chair asked if there were any objections; none were voiced, and the chair declared that the bill had been moved favorably. The chair also said coauthorship could be added when the resolution is brought to the House floor.
The committee adjourned after the vote. The resolution will proceed to the next steps in the legislative process for consideration by the full House.
