NEWS &VIEWSUp On The Hill News from the American Horse Council, representing the equestrian community on federal legislation. New Foreign Worker Program Proposed
Bits & Pieces continued from page 12
On September 7, 2011 Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith (R- TX) introduced the American Specialty Agri- culture Act (H.R.2847). T is bill would create a new, less burdensome temporary foreign agri- cultural worker program to replace the current H-2A program.
Despite substantial eff orts to recruit and train
U.S. workers, horse farms, ranches, and breed- ing facilities must use temporary foreign agri- cultural workers, currently through the H-2A program, to meet their labor needs. Without foreign workers, many of the horse breeding farms upon which the horse industry depends could not continue to operate.
Background Earlier this year Chairman Smith introduced
the Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2164). T is bill would require all employers to use the federal E- verify system to make sure all their workers are authorized to work in the U.S. It is expected the House Judiciary Committee will mark-up and approve this E-verify bill sometime this year. Chairman Smith has now introduced the
American Specialty Agriculture Act in re- sponse to concerns that if his E-verify bill is made law American agricultural producers will not have access to a legal workforce due to the failings of the current H-2A program. Currently, applying for H-2A workers is a
costly, diffi cult process. Often the system is un- reliable and employers are left without workers when they are needed most. Many horse indus- try users of the program report unexplainable delays in the application process. Additionally, a lack of consistency in the adjudication of ap- plications is becoming increasingly frustrating for those in the industry. Because of the com- plexity, cost, and recent Department of Labor (DOL) rules governing the program that went into eff ect in 2010, the H-2A program is not a reliable system with which to provide the workers needed by agricultural employers such as horse farms.
T e Bill T e bill would create a new foreign temporary
agricultural worker program called H-2C to replace the current H-2A program. T e H-2C program would share many characteristics with the current H-2A program such as protections for American and foreign workers and require- ments to reimburse H-2C workers for travel and provide for housing. However, the H-2C program envisioned in this bill would have ma- jor diff erences from the current H-2A program intended to make an H-2C program more user friendly. Major provisions of the bill include: T e H-2C program would be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). T e H-2A program is administered by the De-
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where there were scuff marks, as if Addie refused to load into a trailer. If you have any information about Addie, please call the Montgomery County Police De-
partment at 240-773-6330, owner Naomi Lefkovitz at 301-570-8223, or farm manager Kathy Taylor at 301-253-6661. For photos of Addie and updates, please visit
equiery.com/blog. You can follow the community conversation about the search for Addie on T e Equiery’s facebook page (accessible from our homepage and any blog).
New Regulations Allow for More Foreign-Educated Vets in Maryland
T e Maryland State Board of Veterinary Examiners will now consider licensing veterinary graduates who have received certifi cation from the Program for Assessment of Veterinary Edu- cation Equivalence (PAVE). PAVE gives graduates of nonaccredited veterinary medical colleges a second avenue by which to become licensed to practice veterinary medicine. T e Maryland State Board will also continue considering for licensure foreign-educated vet-
erinarians if they hold a certifi cate from the Educational Commission of Foreign Veterinary Graduates, a certifi cation that is off ered by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Trainer Raises Funds At Ironman Race
Tim Keefe of Sandy Spring conditions 30 horses at Laurel Park and was second in the training standings during the 2011 Laurel winter stand. In addition to training T oroughbred racehorses, Tim also participates in triathlons and on September 11, he traveled to Sandusky, Ohio to partici- pate in the Revolution3 Triathlon, a full Ironman distance triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile marathon run). Tim used the triathlon as a fundraising opportunity for the Maryland T erapeutic Riding School and Kim- berly Clark’s T oroughbred Placement and Rescue, Inc. “I decided to do this as a fundraiser for several reasons. First, the
date: September 11. T at date changed millions of lives forever. Car- rying the American Flag on my back for 140.6 miles gave me a great sense of pride in my country. Second, both groups do extraordinary work for extraordinary people and animals. T ese groups both rely on donations to keep solvent. I hoped to generate not only dona- tions but awareness for each group,” Tim said. Tim raised more than the $10,000 he had hoped for and more donations continue to come in. He placed 63 out of 3030 overall participants and 14 out of the 68 in his age group. To read Tim’s race report, see T e Equiery’s “archives” and click on “Maryland Horse People.”
New Mounted Volunteer Police Unit T e Howard County Police Department has started an all-volunteer Mounted Police Unit.
T ey are currently seeking experienced riders with their own horses, tack, trucks, and trailers. T e volunteers will perform uniformed (nonconfrontational) horse patrols at county parks and other large events. T e program will fall under the Auxiliary Program, and mounted vol- unteers are considered Auxiliary Police Offi cers. T e county will furnish some equipment such as uniform shirt, badge, nameplate, saddle blanket with HCPD logo, radio, and other miscel- laneous equipment. T e volunteer must furnish the horse, trailer, and all related horse equipment. T ere are no state or county residency requirements. For more information, please contact the Northern District Deputy Commander for Howard County, Lt. Tim Black, at 410-313-2306 or
tblack@howardcountymd.gov.
$463,745 in Ag Cost-Share Grants Approved On September 7, Governor Martin O’Malley announced that the Board of Public Works
approved $463,745.12 in agricultural cost-share grants in 13 counties for 57 projects that will prevent soil erosion, manage nutrients and safeguard water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. T ese projects are funded by state general obligation bonds and are not part of MDA’s general fund budget allocation. No, this is not a repeat news item. T ere have been lots of these kinds of programs approved by the governor’s offi ce this summer. For more information, visit
equiery.com/blog.
Foal Correction T e owner of a Rock Slide foal out of Falcon’s Eye was incorrectly listed in the August 2011
Foal Announcements. T e owner should have been listed as Little Man Farm. 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
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