Senate Immigration Bill Could Keep Delmarva’s Seafood Industry Afloat
Not only would this be a disaster for the seafood industry, but what about all the small businesses here that look foreword to the arrival of the Russian and Bulgarian students each year to help in restaurants and lodging.
We need to ensure this bill passes, or as predicted up to 75% of Maryland’s seafood businesses would most likely close.
CAMBRIDGE- The U.S. Senate’s immigration bill now includes a provision that would extend a visa program for seasonal foreign workers that Maryland’s seafood industry relies on for a steady supply of labor.
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., announced Wednesday that the Senate’s immigration bill incorporates her legislation to enact a three-year extension of a provision from her “Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act,” which was signed into law by President Bush in May 2005.
Mikulski said the “Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act” made significant changes to the federal H2B (non-skilled seasonal worker) visa program that resulted in saving thousands of small businesses around the country.
Among the changes, it exempted returning seasonal workers from counting against the national cap of 66,000 people, created new anti-fraud provisions and ensured a fair allocation of H2B visas among spring and summer employees. The cap exemption, which provided significant relief to Maryland’s crab industry that often hires the same dependable workers every year, is set to expire on September 30, 2006
If the three-year extension passes, it would be good news for many seasonal businesses on the Eastern Shore.
Posted on May 19th, 2006 by Tilghman Guy
Filed under: General
Easton / Newman Field, MD