June 2024 - 9

LEGISLATION
industries, " said Ken Fisher, president and CEO of
AmericanHort. " We encourage the group to continue to
advocate for policies that improve the H-2A and H-2B
programs, particularly in reforming the Adverse Effect
Wage Rate policies and granting year-round industries
access to the H-2A program. "
BORDER BILL FAILURE KICKS AG WORKFORCE
DOWN THE ROAD
Senator James Lankford negotiated a border bill in good
faith with Senate Democrats and the White House, only
for former President Trump to oppose the initiative out of
concern that it might grant President Biden a significant
legislative victory during a presidential election year.
Despite initial support, opposition from within the
GOP escalated quickly. In the end, Republican senators
blocked the border security bill through a procedural
vote. Democrats expressed frustration and accused
Republicans of prioritizing political gains over problemsolving.
So here we go again!
Why is this so vital to the agricultural workforce? Well,
this border bill did not address H-2A or H-2B concerns, or
any part of agricultural labor. So technically, no, the bill
did not address the concerns associated with labor in the
agriculture sector, but because of politics, this stops any
progress on ag labor reform this Congress and potentially
in the next Congress.
So, what is next? Because it is a presidential election
year, we will not see any controversial, tough or
complicated bills moving through Congress prior to the
November election.
Furthermore, 46 members of Congress are retiring or
seeking other offices this November. So, not only are we
seeing presidential politics, but many of our seasoned
elected officials with background and knowledge in this
space are leaving Congress.
Our industry will need to educate new, less experienced
officials and their staff on our labor needs. The months
leading up to the election will be an interesting time, with
the make-up of the House of Representatives, the Senate,
the White House and its administration all up for grabs. As
we say in Washington, D.C. - hurry up and wait!
Matt Mika is the vice president of advocacy and government
affairs for AmericanHort. For more information on
AmericanHort, visit americanhort.org.
BEYOND THE STRUCTURE
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the sky is the limit
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TURN-KEY, PLANNING, INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE
GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 9
http://www.americanhort.org https://www.griffins.com/
June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2024
