Secretary Perdue issues a statement on the Department of Labor’s Proposed H2A Modernized Rule

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue issued a statement soon after the release of the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to modernize the H-2A program to reflect stakeholder concerns and improve access to a legal source of agricultural labor.  “The proposed rule will increase access to a reliable legal agricultural workforce, easing unnecessary burdens on farmers, increase enforcement against fraud and abuse, all while maintaining protections for America’s workers. When this rule goes into effect, our farmers will be released from unnecessary and burdensome regulations allowing them to do what they do best.”

The Department of Labor (the Department), Employment and Training Administration and Wage and Hour Division today posted online a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to solicit public comments on proposed changes to improve the H-2A temporary agricultural labor certification program. These proposed changes would modernize the Department's H-2A regulations in a way that is responsive to stakeholder concerns and enhances employer access to a legal source of agricultural labor, while maintaining the program's protections for the U.S. workforce and enhancing enforcement against fraud and abuse.

The NPRM includes several major proposals that would streamline and simplify the H-2A application process, strengthen protections for U.S. and foreign workers, and ease unnecessary burdens on employers. For example, the NPRM would streamline the H-2A application process by mandating electronic filing of job orders and applications, promoting the use of digital signatures, and providing employers with the option of staggering the entry of H-2A workers on a single application.
The NPRM also proposes to strengthen protections for U.S. and foreign workers by enhancing standards applicable to rental housing and public accommodations, strengthening surety bond requirements, expanding the Department's authority to use enforcement tools like program debarment for substantial violations of program rules, and updating the methodologies used to determine the Adverse Effect Wage Rates and prevailing wages to ensure U.S. workers similarly employed are not adversely impacted.

Finally, the NPRM would expand access to the H-2A program by revising the definition of agricultural labor or services to include employers engaged in reforestation and pine straw activities, as workers performing these services share many of the same characteristics as traditional agricultural crews. The proposal would also codify and update procedures governing the certification for job opportunities in animal shearing, custom combining, beekeeping, and reforestation.
The Department is posting a copy of the NPRM in advance of its publication in the Federal Register. A copy of the NPRM can be found by clicking here.

ELD Rules Release Delayed

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has contacted us about the proposed revisions to the Hours of Service elements of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule.  FMCSA now projects that the proposed rules will be released by July 31, 2019. However, this date is not binding and could change again, so we will continue to monitor the progress.

This is the second delay with this particular release - - the first was delayed from June 7^th to June 30^th. 

The White House Office of Management and Budget is still in review of the rules and must approve them before publication.  Once the proposed rules are published, we will communicate the details to you along with the link to public comments which will follow the proposed change release.   By law the FMCSA must offer a timeframe to accept public comments before any steps are taken to pursue a final rule change.    We will keep you posted as new developments arise. 

The National Watermelon Association, Inc (NWA) is pleased to announce that we have been selected as the official 2018 Association business - Music City Brand Champion, for the 2018 National Watermelon Association Convention that was held in Nashville Tennessee at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. This prestigious honor is awarded annually to meetings and event planners who incorporate the Music City brand into their promotional and marketing materials and efforts.

“Numerous meeting planners embraced the Brand Champion program in 2018 by successfully integrating the Music City Brand into their convention and event materials and programming. The 2018 finalists all utilized the brand in clever ways. The National Watermelon Association, however, raised the bar and created a multi-layer program that stood out above the competition.” said Butch Spyridon, President of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation.

For the 2018 National Watermelon Association Convention we expanded our efforts by creating an event specific website, mobile app and Nashville unique events for our attendees. The convention website and app provided a place for attendees to register for convention, learn about events, review the schedule, and more. The unique events included the Opening Night reception and event at the Wildhorse Saloon with performances by Darryl Worley and Trick Pony, Executive Committee Spouse event at the Listening Room with Nashville singer-songwriters, Country Music Hall of Fame tour, Shotgun Tournament at the Nashville Gun Club, and a special evening at the Grand Ole Opry.

The National Watermelon Association is thankful and proud to be honored as the 2018 Music City Brand Champion. We strive to make a positive difference in the business and livelihoods of our members every day.