What’s Bugging Us? New Beetle Discovered in NYC
In New York City, of all places, a new species of Agrilus beetle was discovered in an historic cemetery on beech trees. Agrilus beetles are known as jewel beetles and have over 3000 known species worldwide, the largest number of species of any genus in the animal kingdom. Other infamous members of the Agrilus genus […]
Appropriations and H-2B
How Congress ends up funding the federal government will determine whether we see an H-2B seasonal worker visa fix in time for 2020. For this reason, we’re providing frequent status updates. The House and Senate recently passed, and the President has signed, a bill that sets federal government spending limits for the next two years […]
Iowa Congresswoman Schooled on Horticulture
U.S. Representative Abigail Finkenauer (D-IA-1) visited AmericanHort leader Mike Gooder and Plantpeddler on July 30. During the visit, she toured production of rooted Poinsettias, various finished crops, facility expansion, and trial gardens. She fell totally in love with the Sunfinity® Sunflower and the story behind the plant. The Plantpeddler team took full advantage of the […]
Unpacking the H-2A Proposed Rule
As reported last time, the Department of Labor has published a proposed rule seeking to modernize and improve the H-2A agricultural visa program. Many of our nursery and greenhouse producers use the program, and others are evaluating it as the labor situation worsens. As AmericanHort prepares to officially comment on the proposal, we are sharing a “side […]
FMCSA Seeks Guidance on Agricultural Commodities
After a two-year effort to urge the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to address the opaqueness of the “agricultural commodity” definition used for transportation policy, the agency has finally issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on what should be considered an “agricultural commodity.” Via a press announcement on July 29, both Transportation Secretary […]
A New Way To Take Action With AmericanHort – Introducing The Grassroots Action Center
No doubt you’ve seen the emails asking for your assistance encouraging a Member of Congress to take a stand on a piece of legislation or explaining the importance of an issue. Far from just another mass email, your action is the special sauce that makes our advocacy successful in Washington. In other words, we need your […]
House Votes to Raise Minimum Wage
On July 18, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to raise the $7.25 federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. The bill would increase the minimum wage in steps until it reaches the $15 level. After that, the wage floor would be indexed according to growth in median wages. According to the Congressional […]
Long-awaited H-2A Modernization Proposal Unveiled
The Department of Labor (DOL) has posted on its website a copy of the long-awaited H-2A modernization proposed rule. The official version should appear in the Federal Register during the week of July 22. The rulemaking intends to streamline the process by which DOL reviews employers’ applications for temporary agricultural labor certifications. Proposed changes to current regulations […]
Scalia for Labor Secretary, Trump Announces
On July 18, President Donald Trump announced his plan to nominate Eugene Scalia to serve as Secretary of Labor. The post was vacated following the resignation of Alexander Acosta earlier this month. Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has a strong business-friendly record, but is expected to draw fierce criticism from […]
EPA Issues Final Order on Chlorpyrifos
Meeting the July 18 deadline set by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a decision against a ban of chlorpyrifos, citing insufficient evidence to warrant discontinuation of the product. Agricultural uses of chlorpyrifos have been challenged in the U.S. court system since 2007, several years following the […]