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H-2B Legislation, Reauthorization: Contact your Congressperson and Senators
Released Date: November 15, 2007

Dear Client:

This is a call to action on Senate Bill 988, which we are currently trying to pass through Congress concerning H-2B visas. This bill is critical to U.S. employers with H-2B workers.  The bill would extend a provision that exempts hundreds and thousands of returning H-2B workers from the fiscal year 2008 cap.  It is critical that you read and understand the bill, and the impact it could have on your company should it not pass.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it is now sitting, and no action has been taken.

We would like to request that you contact your Congressperson and Senators immediately to put pressure on the Senate Judiciary Committee to take action on the bill - it is preferable to make an appointment to meet with them face to face, however if you are unable to do so then e-mailing is the next best option. 

Here is a link to locate your Senator (using the link in upper right-hand corner): http://www.senate.gov/

Here is the link to locate your Congressperson using your nine-digit zip code: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Here is a link to all their e-mails:
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm .


8 cap.  It is critical that you read and understand the bill, and the impact it could have on your company should it not pass.  The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it is now
Sample Letter


Below is a sample letter to send to your congress person:

Date

Hon. _____________________
United States Senate
(or United States House of Representatives)
Washington, DC 20510


Dear Senator (or Congressperson)______________:

I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the bipartisan "Save Our Small and Seasonal Business Act of 2007" (S. 988) introduced by Senator Mikulski. This legislation is of critical importance to my business, to small businesses in our community and the U.S. economy in general.

The Save Our Small and Seasonal Business Act would help small business employers who are reliant on seasonal workers to hire qualified individuals to work during peak months. The bill would provide relief by extending an existing exemption in the H-2B visa cap for experienced foreign workers who have participated in the H-2B program within the past three years, have followed all our laws while here, and then returned to their native countries as required. This exemption expired on September 30, 2007, without Congress having acted to extend it. As a consequence, the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the first half of the fiscal year 2008 was reached on September 27, 2007 - three days before the new fiscal year.

The ability to hire seasonal foreign workers is imperative. While my company spends considerable time and money to recruit U.S. workers, the positions we need to fill are labor intensive, physically exhausting, low and semi-skilled jobs that many Americans do not want to take. Therefore, our ability to meet seasonal demand and stay in business relies on finding temporary foreign workers. H-2B workers have proven critical in filling this need.

I respectfully urge you to support the "Save Our Small and Seasonal Business Act" (S. 988) and help my company's continued viability in the marketplace.

Sincerely,

(Your name)


Questions and Comments:
If you have any questions or would like more information regarding this advisory, please do not hesitate to contact the team at Azarmehr & Associates, P.C. Please send your questions to: contact@mpalaw.net
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