| Senate hits snag in agriculture appropriations billsOn Thursday, the Senate voted on a bipartisan 91-7 vote to open debate on the Senate floor on the first package of spending bills for fiscal year 2024; however, shortly after the vote, some Republican senators began pushing for the three spending bills to be considered individually, bringing the process to a standstill. This package included three bills including the one for the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. The current spending bills expire September 30. Department of Labor proposes new rule for H-2A programThis week, the Department of Labor released a proposed rule to expand employee protections for workers in the H-2A temporary farm worker program. Among the proposed changes are requiring new disclosures on recruitment, making new wage rates applicable sooner, allowing workers to access representation in disciplinary cases, and preventing employers from confiscating workers’ travel documents. The proposed rule has not yet been published in the Federal Register. Once published in the Register, interested parties will have 60 days to comment on the rule. The proposed rule can be found here. |
| Washington, D.C. Update |
| Senate hits snag in agriculture appropriations billsOn Thursday, the Senate voted on a bipartisan 91-7 vote to open debate on the Senate floor on the first package of spending bills for fiscal year 2024; however, shortly after the vote, some Republican senators began pushing for the three spending bills to be considered individually, bringing the process to a standstill. This package included three bills including the one for the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. The current spending bills expire September 30. Department of Labor proposes new rule for H-2A programThis week, the Department of Labor released a proposed rule to expand employee protections for workers in the H-2A temporary farm worker program. Among the proposed changes are requiring new disclosures on recruitment, making new wage rates applicable sooner, allowing workers to access representation in disciplinary cases, and preventing employers from confiscating workers’ travel documents. The proposed rule has not yet been published in the Federal Register. Once published in the Register, interested parties will have 60 days to comment on the rule. The proposed rule can be found here. |
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