Last chance for H-2B relief

Congress is crafting legislation to fund the federal government from December 9 through at least the end of March and possibly into May. Under a continuing resolution (CR), the H-2B regulatory relief now in place will be extended. However, the returning worker exemption expired on October 1, 2016. This week is likely the last chance to influence whether or not the exemption will be included in the short-term funding measure, in time for the spring growing season.

AmericanHort and many regional nursery and landscape associations are urging members to call and email their two Senators and Representative in the House and ask them to recognize the unique requirements of seasonal industries like horticulture.

Click here to write to your elected officials, with the option of using AmericanHort's prewritten message urging them to include the H-2B returning worker exemption in the short-term spending agreement for FY2017.

You can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your three elected representatives; this means three brief phone calls.

If Congress does not include the returning worker exemption in its spending plan, the landscape industry can expect to see serious seasonal workforce shortages in 2017. The entire horticulture supply chain -- growers, garden retailers, landscape distributors, and suppliers -- will be affected by these shortages.