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Congress·In Committee·2 months ago

Farmworker Pay: New Wage Rules and Faster Hiring

Also known as: Fair Wages for Farmworkers Act

Legislative Progress

Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill changes how the government calculates the minimum pay for H-2A workers, who are temporary foreign farmworkers brought to the U.S. for seasonal work. It requires the Labor Department to use state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to set these wage rates.
  • The goal of these wage rules is to make sure that hiring foreign workers does not lower the pay for local American farmworkers. By using state-specific data, the government aims to set pay rates that better match what people are actually earning in a specific region.
  • The bill also speeds up the hiring process by allowing the Department of Homeland Security to start reviewing worker applications while the Labor Department is still doing its checks. Currently, these steps often happen one after the other, which can cause delays for farmers who need help quickly.
  • Farmers who rely on seasonal labor would be the most affected, as this could change their labor costs and how quickly they can get workers into the fields. It also impacts the thousands of foreign workers who come to the U.S. each year for agricultural jobs.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Dec 18, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Dec 18, 2025

Introduced in House

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Fair Wages for Farmworkers Act

Bill NumberHR 6847
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
R: 1

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