CONGRESS: Memorializes the United States Congress to include expanding H-2B worker visas in its appropriations bill or other appropriate legislative instrument for Fiscal Year 2027

HLS 26RS-3106 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 73
BY REPRESENTATIVE BUTLER
CONGRESS: Memorializes the United States Congress to include expanding H-2B worker
visas in its appropriations bill or other appropriate legislative instrument for Fiscal
Year 2027
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
2 To memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to include
3 expanding H-2B worker visas in the United States Department of Homeland Security
4 or the United States Department of Labor baseline in the congressional
5 appropriations bill or any other appropriate legislative instrument for Fiscal Year
6 2027.
7 WHEREAS, the H-2B temporary nonagricultural program, also commonly referred
8 to as the H-2B nonimmigrant program or H-2B visa program, permits employers to
9 temporarily hire non-United States citizens to perform nonagricultural labor or services in
10 the United States; and
11 WHEREAS, employers in this country have utilized H-2B visa workers to
12 supplement their operations and support their current workers during peak seasons; and
13 WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Labor, Louisiana ranked
14 in the top ten of states that utilized the H-2B visa program during Fiscal Year 2025; and
15 WHEREAS, in this state, the H-2B visa program has been primarily used by our
16 state's seasonal employers, particularly crawfish processors and landscapers; and
17 WHEREAS, in Fiscal Year 2025, over eight thousand H-2B positions were certified
18 in this state, with a bulk of those positions being for crawfish and seafood processing
19 occupations and landscaping occupations; and
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HLS 26RS-3106 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 73
1 WHEREAS, a recent Unleash Prosperity survey shows that, due to the insufficient
2 number of visas and processing delays, close to half of seasonal H-2B employers do not
3 expect to be profitable in 2026, including most of our crawfish processors and landscapers,
4 making this an urgent threat to our state's economy; and
5 WHEREAS, studies show that the crawfish industry contributes over three hundred
6 million dollars and the green industry contributes over two billion dollars to Louisiana's
7 economy annually; and
8 WHEREAS, based on this statistical information and data, the H-2B visa program
9 has been greatly beneficial and continues to be greatly utilized by Louisiana businesses and
10 is essential for operation; and
11 WHEREAS, according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services,
12 there is a statutory numerical limit or "cap" on the total number of non-United States citizens
13 who may be issued an H-2B visa or be granted H-2B status during a fiscal year; and
14 WHEREAS, this statutory cap, which is currently set at sixty-six thousand visas per
15 fiscal year, was set in 1990 and has not been altered since, despite the gross domestic
16 product quintupling; and
17 WHEREAS, there are procedural mechanisms in place that allow employers seeking
18 to hire H-2B workers during the second half of the fiscal year to access any unused visas
19 from the first half of the fiscal year; and
20 WHEREAS, moreover, the United States Department of Homeland Security, in
21 conjunction with the United States Department of Labor, announced a temporary rule, which
22 allocated over sixty-four thousand supplemental visas for Fiscal Year 2026 in addition to the
23 sixty-six thousand visas under the statutory cap; and
24 WHEREAS, the supplemental visas are only available to businesses that can
25 demonstrate that they are suffering irreparable harm or will suffer impending irreparable
26 harm without the ability to employ all the H-2B visa workers requested in their petition for
27 H-2B visas; and
28 WHEREAS, considering that the statutory cap has already been met and
29 supplemental H-2B visas are now being utilized, there is clearly a great need and strong
30 desire for H-2B workers; and
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HLS 26RS-3106 ORIGINAL
HCR NO. 73
1 WHEREAS, a modification of the H-2B visa program could help Louisiana business
2 owners, particularly crawfish processors and landscapers, further extend their recruitment
3 efforts and allow them to hire more H-2B workers as necessary to help meet workforce
4 needs to ensure the successful continuation and prosperity of their businesses.
5 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
6 memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions as are necessary to include
7 expanding H-2B worker visas in the United States Department of Homeland Security or
8 United States Department of Labor baseline in the congressional appropriations bill or any
9 other appropriate legislative instrument for Fiscal Year 2027.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
11 presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Congress of the
12 United States of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 73 Original 2026 Regular Session Butler
Memorializes U.S. Congress to take such actions as are necessary to include expanding H-
2B worker visas in the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security or the U.S. Dept. of Labor baseline
in the congressional appropriations bill or any other appropriate legislative instrument for
the 2027 FY.
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