Bill > HR0029

This resolution urges the United States Congress to pass legislation temporarily freezing the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program. The resolution highlights that Michigan farmers currently must pay temporary foreign agricultural workers $18.15 per hour under the AEWR, which has increased by 81 percent since 2008 and 34 percent since 2019. The document notes that farm production expenses in the United States totaled $481 billion in 2023, a significant increase from 2019, and that farmers are experiencing rising costs in labor, feed, fertilizer, and machinery. Drawing attention to Congressman John Moolenaar's "Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2024", which would maintain the AEWR at its December 31, 2023 level through December 31, 2025, the resolution argues that without intervention, farms across Michigan could be forced to shut down, which would be economically devastating given agriculture's importance to the state's rural communities. The resolution calls for Congress to pass legislation freezing the AEWR and requests that copies of the resolution be sent to key congressional leadership.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HR-0029