Save Our Seafood Act

Save Our Seafood Act

This bill establishes that the annual numerical cap on temporary nonagricultural worker (H-2B) visas does not apply to fish processors.

Under current law, up to 66,000 H-2B visas may be issued in a year, with additional visas available to certain classes of workers who are exempt from this cap, including fish roe processors. 

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1292 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1292

   To permanently authorize the exemption of aliens working as fish 
  processors from the numerical limitation on H-2B nonimmigrant visas.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 3, 2025

Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Warner, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
 Kennedy, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Tillis, and Ms. Alsobrooks) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To permanently authorize the exemption of aliens working as fish 
  processors from the numerical limitation on H-2B nonimmigrant visas.

    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 ``Save Our Seafood Act''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION OF ALIENS WORKING AS FISH PROCESSORS FROM THE 
              NUMERICAL LIMITATION ON H-2B NONIMMIGRANT VISAS.

    (a) In General.--Section 214(g)(10) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(10)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The numerical limitations of paragraph 
        (1)(B)'' and inserting ``(A) The numerical limitation under 
        paragraph (1)(B)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(B)(i) The numerical limitation under paragraph (1)(B) shall not 
apply to any nonimmigrant alien issued a visa or otherwise provided 
status under section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) who is employed (or has 
received an offer of employment)--
            ``(I) as a fish roe processor, a fish roe technician, or a 
        supervisor of fish roe processing; or
            ``(II) as a fish processor.
    ``(ii) As used in clause (i)--
            ``(I) the term `fish' means fresh or saltwater finfish, 
        mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of aquatic animal 
        life, including the roe of such animals, other than marine 
        mammals and birds; and
            ``(II) the term `processor'--
                    ``(aa) means any person engaged in the processing 
                of fish, including handling, storing, preparing, 
                heading, eviscerating, shucking, freezing, changing 
                into different market forms, manufacturing, preserving, 
                packing, labeling, dockside unloading, holding, and all 
                other processing activities; and
                    ``(bb) does not include any person engaged in--
                            ``(AA) harvesting or transporting fish or 
                        fishery products without otherwise engaging in 
                        processing;
                            ``(BB) practices such as heading, 
                        eviscerating, or freezing intended solely to 
                        prepare a fish for holding on board a harvest 
                        vessel; or
                            ``(CC) operating a retail establishment.''.
    (b) Repeal.--Section 14006 of the Department of Defense 
Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-287) is repealed.
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