We received the following email today from the H-2B workforce coalition. We ask you to take action TODAY by contacting Senator Bennet's office at (202) 224-5852 or at www.bennet.senate.gov/?p=contact. Ask him to sign the letters from Burr, Mikulski, Tillis, and Warner (Senator Gardener has already signed them). The deadline is 2:00 PM Mountain time (5:00 PM Eastern time), so please be sure to make your voice heard before the end of the day.

You can also tweet your support to @SenBennetCO and follow ALCC at @COGreenNOW for sample tweets.

A bipartisan group of Senators are circulating two helpful H-2B letters and we need your help to ensure that as many Senators as possible sign the attached letters. The first letter being spearheaded by Senators Burr (R-NC) and Mikulski (D-MD) will be sent to the Secretary of Labor. It expresses concern with the length of time it is taking the Department to issue prevailing wage determinations, as well as the very limited circumstances in which DOL will accept wage surveys. The second letter, being circulated by Senators Tillis (R-NC) and Warner (R-VA), requests that the Senate Appropriations Committee include the H-2B provisions from the House and Senate DOL and DHS appropriations bills in any final spending bill for the remainder of fiscal 2016. PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO SIGN THESE LETTERS. THE DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. CALL YOUR SENATORS -- Please call your Senators and ask them to sign both of these H-2B letters. You can reach your Senators through the Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121. Once connected to your Senator’s office, ask to speak to the staff person who handles H-2B issues (generally the person who handles immigration or labor). Tell him or her why the H-2B program is so important to your business and ask them to sign these letters.
2. CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE ON SOCIAL MEDIA -- Please continue to discuss the importance of H-2B relief on social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Tweet about the need for Congress to address the H-2B Program using #saveH2B. Direct the tweets to your two Senators. In North Carolina, Maryland or Virginia? Don’t forget to tweet a thank you message to Senators Tillis, Burr, Mikulski and Warner. You can find the twitter address for your Senators and Representative at the links below.

twitter.com/gov/lists/us-senate/members
twitter.com/verified/lists/us-congress/members

Here are some sample tweets:

• Sign the H-2B letters being circulated by Senators Burr, Mikulski, Tillis & Warner and #saveH2B
• I cannot run my seasonal business without H-2B & American workers. Pass an H-2B returning worker exemption. #saveH2B
• DOL delays & the cap threaten my ability to use the H-2B program. Sign the Burr, Mikulski, Tillis & Warner H-2B letters & #saveH2B
• Congress must pass an H-2B returning worker exemption and H-2B regulatory relief so I can hire legal seasonal workers! #saveH2B
• Create your own tweet that tells how the DOL processing delays, the cap or new regs have impacted your business and include #saveH2B.

If you don't have a Twitter account, you can set one up at https://twitter.com/signup.

Thanks for your continued outreach to help save the H-2B program. Your calls, letters, emails and tweets are making a huge difference on Capitol Hill.

Sincerely,
H-2B Workforce Coalition Co-Chairs
Laurie Flanagan, Representing the National Association of Landscape Professionals and AmericanHort
Brian Crawford, American Hotel and Lodging Association

Previously on the LAB:
Quick H-2B update
More H-2B updates
H-2B legislation updates