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HR 29

A resolution to urge the United States Congress to pass legislation temporarily freezing the Adverse Effect Wage Rate for the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Greg Alexander and 24 co-sponsors

Urges Congress to temporarily freeze the AEWR for H-2A workers to ease Michigan farms’ labor-cost pressures.

referred to Committee on Agriculture
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Bill Summary · HR 29

Summary — HR 29

Title: A resolution to urge the United States Congress to pass legislation temporarily freezing the Adverse Effect Wage Rate for the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program
Status: Referred to Committee on Agriculture
Introduced: August 18, 2025
Classification: House resolution (non‑binding)

Purpose and intent

HR 29 is a state legislative resolution asking the U.S. Congress to enact a temporary freeze of the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) used under the federal H‑2A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program. The resolution frames the request as urgent relief for Michigan farmers facing rising labor and input costs.

Key provisions

  • Urges the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that temporarily freezes the AEWR for H‑2A agricultural workers.
  • Requests that copies of the resolution be transmitted to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Michigan’s congressional delegation.

(As a resolution, HR 29 does not change law or create binding policy — it is advisory/expressive.)

Background and context (facts cited in the resolution)

  • The resolution states the 2025 AEWR in Michigan is $18.15 per hour.
  • It notes the AEWR for Michigan has increased roughly 81% since 2008 and 34% since 2019.
  • Cites USDA data showing U.S. farm production expenses totaled $481 billion in 2023 (an increase of nearly $125 billion since 2019).
  • References a prior federal proposal, the “Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2024” (introduced by Rep. John Moolenaar), which would have required the Department of Labor to keep AEWR at its Dec. 31, 2023 rate through Dec. 31, 2025.

Who would be affected

  • Primary beneficiaries intended by the resolution: Michigan farmers who hire H‑2A workers, by seeking to limit near‑term labor‑cost increases.
  • Indirectly affected: H‑2A workers (a wage freeze would prevent scheduled increases); federal agencies (U.S. Department of Labor sets AEWR); Congress (the resolution asks Congress to act).
  • Because the measure is a request, no direct legal or budgetary effects occur at the state level.

Potential impact and considerations

  • If Congress were to freeze AEWR, employers’ wage costs for H‑2A workers would be constrained in the short term, potentially easing operating costs for some farms.
  • A freeze could also be controversial: AEWRs are set to protect domestic farmworkers’ wages; freezing them may affect worker pay relative to inflation and local labor markets.
  • The resolution itself is symbolic — it signals state policy preferences to federal lawmakers but does not compel federal action.

Procedural / next steps

  • Current status: Referred to the state Committee on Agriculture (per bill information).
  • As a non‑binding resolution, its main effect is advocacy — transmitting the state legislature’s request to federal leaders for consideration in any Congressional action on AEWR/H‑2A rules.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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