H-2B Cap Extension Bill Passes

Hours before Congress was scheduled to adjourn for recess, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) announced Friday that she successfully included language in the Department of Defense authorization bill to extend – for one year – a provision from her Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act that will allow for the extension of the H-2B cap to be renewed for a year, according to a press release from the Professional Landcare Network.

The H2B extension will exempt returning workers only from fiscal years 2004, 2005, or 2006 from being counted against the caps in fiscal year 2007. Both the U.S. House and Senate are expected to approve the DOD bill by the end of Friday. 

The Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act was signed into law by President Bush in May 2005.

“The cap exemption provides significant relief for many industries that rely on seasonal and temporary workers each year,” the release says. But Tom Delaney, director of government affairs for PLANET, adds, “While we welcome the one-year extension, it may now be time to fight for the permanent fix of the cap.”