WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and colleagues introduced the Save Our Seafood (SOS) Act to help the seafood industry meet workforce demands by exempting fish processors from the H-2B visa caps. The legislation is vital to the fishing industry, economy, and food supply chain.
“When you think Louisiana, you think seafood,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Creating jobs in this industry is good for our economy and state.”
“Alaska’s seafood industry is a delicate chain – and when processors don’t have the workforce to meet demand, the whole industry can fall apart,” said Senator Murkowski. “Coastal communities, family-owned fishing boats, and Alaskans who work in the industry need to know that they have fully-functioning operations where they can deliver their catch. Through this legislation, I’m working to ensure that the industry has a dependable workforce that can process and deliver the highest-quality seafood in the world.”
H-2B visas allow domestic employers to temporarily hire nonimmigrants to perform nonagricultural labor or services if they cannot fill these jobs with American workers. Employers must first obtain certification from the U.S. Department of Labor and then complete an application process through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to obtain these visas.
The program is crucial to the survival of the seafood industry. When seafood is harvested, processors are at the back of the line for visas and rely on “supplemental” visas being issued, which are discretionary. If there is not sufficient processing capacity, fishermen have nowhere to deliver their catch and do not get paid, which is devastating to small, family-owned seafood operations and the communities they live in.
Cassidy and Murkowski were joined by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing the legislation.
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