Economy

Worker Visa Bill Introduced to Congress

March 14, 2019

A bill to address the nation’s labor shortage looks to immigrant workers to fill jobs in the United States. The Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act, introduced by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), would create a federal immigration visa system that would allow immigrant laborers to do year-round, non-farm work after the government approves both the worker and the employer. Visa workers would be allowed to work only for the approved employer at the approved location and job.

“Filling our workforce needs is a key component to boosting our workforce and our economy,” Smucker said. “This bill will help fill job slots, and I urge my colleagues to support it.”

U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), co-introducer of the bill, said the visa system would especially benefit the construction and hospitality industries.

“It is time to reform our outdated immigration laws in order to vet and admit, by means of a work-permit system based on skills and not family relations, the workers our economy needs to grow,” said Rooney. “The Workforce for an Expanding Economy Act would provide qualified workers for positions that employers are unable to fill. Employers would be required to prove they were unable to find American workers for vacant positions, pay them fair wages based on local wage data, and would use E-verify to make sure only legal immigrants are hired. This would greatly benefit the construction and hospitality industries, which are facing severe worker shortages.”

The Associated General Contractors of America is urging support for the measure that would help contractors fill jobs. In a survey conducted by AGC last year, 80 percent of construction firms reported difficulty finding qualified workers to hire.

“The shortage of available, qualified, workers in many parts of the country threatens to undermine continued economic growth,” said AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr. “Creating a temporary, flexible worker visa system will allow all types of economic development to proceed without costly delays caused by workforce shortages.”

The new bill would not only boost the economy but also cut illegal immigration, said Sandherr. He noted that AGC has long advocated for a temporary worker visa system for the construction sector that allows for more workers during periods when labor is scarce, but lowers the number of visas during slower economic cycles.

Said Sandherr, “This measure will help put an end to an immigration system that creates too many incentives for workers to illegally enter the country while also boosting economic growth.”