Dairy and Sheep H-2A Visa Enhancement Act

Dairy and Sheep H-2A Visa Enhancement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include within the H-2A nonimmigrant visa category (temporary agricultural workers) an alien coming temporarily to the United States to work as a sheepherder or dairy worker. Provides for a three-year initial period of admission with additional three-year extensions.

Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue housing regulations for workers engaged in the range production of livestock.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 1660 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1660

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a special rule 
  for the period of admission of H-2A nonimmigrants employed as dairy 
           workers and sheepherders, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2009

Mr. McHugh (for himself, Mr. Arcuri, Mr. Nunes, and Mr. Bishop of Utah) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a special rule 
  for the period of admission of H-2A nonimmigrants employed as dairy 
           workers and sheepherders, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dairy and Sheep H-2A Visa 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. NONIMMIGRANT STATUS FOR DAIRY WORKERS AND SHEEPHERDERS.

    Section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a)) is amended by inserting after 
``abandoning'' the following: ``who is coming temporarily to the United 
States to perform agricultural labor or services as a sheepherder or 
dairy worker, or''.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RULE FOR PERIOD OF ADMISSION OF H-2A NONIMMIGRANTS 
              EMPLOYED AS SHEEPHERDERS OR DAIRY WORKERS.

    Section 218(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1188(h)) is amended by adding at the end of the following:
            ``(3) In the case of an alien admitted as an H-2A worker 
        for employment as a dairy worker or sheepherder--
                    ``(A) the initial period of admission shall be for 
                a period of 3 years;
                    ``(B) the period of admission may be extended for 
                additional periods of 3 years; and
                    ``(C) no period of absence from the United States 
                may be required as a condition of approval of an 
                extension under subparagraph (B).''.

SEC. 4. WORKERS ENGAGED IN THE RANGE PRODUCTION OF LIVESTOCK.

    The Secretary of Labor shall issue regulations that address the 
specific requirements for the provision of housing to workers engaged 
in the range production of livestock.

SEC. 5. RANGE PRODUCTION OF LIVESTOCK.

    Nothing in section 218 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1188) shall preclude the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of 
Homeland Security from continuing to apply special procedures and 
requirements to the admission and employment of aliens in occupations 
involving the range production of livestock.
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