Feb 28, 2020

A Time for Action By Tim Hodson

Last week, AmericanHort sent out two Action Alerts to let growers know that legislators will soon be making a final decision regarding two important topics related to our industry — H-2B visas and agricultural trucking reform.

AmericanHort is looking to enlist the support of the industry to notify their elected officials on the impact that pending legislation could have on the horticulture and agriculture industries.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will soon be announcing a final decision on supplemental H-2B visas for 2020. According to AmericanHort the demand for these visas is currently three times more than the number that are available.

That is why AmericanHort is calling for your action to reach out to your representatives in Washington and let them know how important it is to our industry for the DHS to releases the largest possible number of visas.

AmericanHort has created an online form to help you reach out to your elected officials to express you views on this topic. You can find the form by clicking here.

Action is also needed to help educate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) about the definition of “agricultural commodity” in the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act.

Representatives Austin Scott (R-GA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) are circulating a letter to the to the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the FMCSA. According to AmericanHort, Scott and Schrader would like to “include horticulture and floriculture in the ‘agricultural commodity’ definition for transportation policy, eliminating the current confusion around whether [the horticulture] industry is able to utilize the agricultural exemption associated with the electronic logging device mandate.”

AmericanHort has created another online form to help you contact your representatives and let them know how important this is to your business and the industry.

Don’t miss this opportunity for your voice to be heard in Washington …

— Tim