Castro, the outgoing chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, said he wrote the bill to fix flaws in the H-2B visa system. The H-2B visas apply to seasonal workers in nonagricultural jobs.
The Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act has received endorsements by the AFL-CIO, as well as the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and other unions. It is also co-sponsored by House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman-elect Rosa DeLauro
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Castro’s bill would require enhanced nationwide recruitment of U.S.-based workers, create an online database for workers to apply for positions, engage unions in the search for workers and prohibit background checks that are not legally required for a position.