PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Apr 21, 2022
Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2022
This bill modifies the H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) visa program and expands protections for aliens who report workplace violations.
Changes to the H-2B program include
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
requiring the Department of Labor to establish a centralized national electronic platform for U.S. workers to find and apply for positions that employers are seeking to fill with H-2B workers;
requiring employers to recruit U.S. workers nationwide, including by posting the openings on the platform, before applying for H-2B visas;
requiring employers to guarantee at least 40 hours of paid work per week for each H-2B worker (currently employers may guarantee fewer paid hours in certain instances);
requiring employers to pay for housing for H-2B workers and transportation to and from the work site (currently employers are allowed to deduct fees for lodgings from an H-2B worker's pay);
modifying the requirements for determining the minimum wage for H-2B workers; and
prioritizing H-2B visas for certain employers, such as those that pay higher wages.
Furthermore, an alien who has worked a certain amount of time as an H-2B worker may obtain permanent resident status, subject to various requirements.
In addition, an alien who is likely helpful in an investigation of a workplace claim (i.e., an alleged violation of law or workplace-related injury) may qualify for a U visa for victims of criminal activity. The bill also removes statutory numerical limitations on U visas.
The bill also provides protections for certain aliens who file or assist in the investigation of workplace claims.
People & committees
Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] · D–TX
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 3, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.7549 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.7549 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.7549 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.7549 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.