Hoteliers Asked to Contact Congress

Hoteliers Asked to Contact Congress, Urge Renewal

H-2B Relief To Expire Sept. 30

Hoteliers should contact their Senators and Representatives immediately and urge them to cosponsor legislation that will maintain the relief of the H-2B visa program that is scheduled to expire on September 30.

Senators should be asked to cosponsor S. 988 introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) which would extend the H-2B relief provision for 5 years.

Representatives should be asked to cosponsor H.R. 1843 introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) which would make the H-2B relief provision permanent.

Hoteliers should note that although the H-2B program is extremely expensive and difficult to use, it is critical to seasonal businesses. It should also be stressed that if a renewal is not enacted, Congress will be punishing employers that follow the law.

The current H-2B relief was approved at the urging of AH&LA and others who rely on access to seasonal labor. The number of seasonal workers available under the H-2B program is capped at 66,000 per year. The relief measure effectively increases the number of H-2B visa seasonal workers available by exempting workers from the cap who have worked in the U.S. under the H-2B visa program in any one of the three years prior to a year could work under the program again. This relief provision will expire on September 30 unless it is renewed by Congress. The provision that divided the annual allotment of H-2B visas into two portions, with 33,000 being distributed in the first half of the fiscal year and the remaining distributed in the second half of the fiscal year, is permanent.

To strengthen AH&LA's lobbying efforts, all hoteliers should immediately contact their Senators and Representatives through www.ahla.com/grassroots or call them directly and urge them to cosponsor S. 988 or H.R. 1843.

For more information, contact AH&LA Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs Shawn McBurney at 202-289-3123 or smcburney@ahla.com.

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Urge Your Representative to Cosponsor H.R. 1843

Dear Members:

As many of you know, the H-2B Visa cap of 33,000 for the first half of fiscal year '08 has been reached very early. It is more important than ever that we urge members of Congress to pass legislation that would extend the H-2B returning worker exemption.

Below are links to a list of current cosponsors for H.R. 1843, as well as a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader urging them to extend H-2B worker Visas. If you have any questions, please contact FRLA’s Government Relations Section at (850)224-2250.

H-2B Letter to Congress
H.R. 1843 Cosponsors