Congress Introduces Major Agricultural Labor Reform Bill

Many GGIA members may have already seen this update, but this issue is important enough that we wanted to make sure it reaches our entire green industry network.

This week, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson introduced the bipartisan Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, a major federal agricultural labor reform bill that could have significant implications for Georgia’s green industry.

This is a major development for agriculture. The H-2A agricultural guest worker program has not been meaningfully modernized by Congress since the Reagan administration, even as agriculture’s labor needs have changed dramatically. Today, many farms, nurseries, greenhouses, and other labor-intensive agricultural businesses rely on the H-2A program because of the continued shortage of available domestic workers.

GGIA has been engaged through the Ag Wage Reform Coalition, a national coalition representing specialty crop producers, farm employers, and agricultural organizations across multiple states. We are also working alongside our national horticulture partner, AmericanHort, which has been actively advocating for this legislation through the Agriculture Workforce Coalition. GGIA is listed as a supporting organization for the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, and we are continuing to work with our partners as this legislation moves through Congress.

While much of the initial public discussion around this bill has focused on dairy and other year-round agricultural sectors, the bill also includes provisions that could be highly significant for horticulture, nursery, greenhouse, and landscape employers.

Among its major provisions, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act would:

• Modernize the H-2A agricultural guest worker program.

• Expand access to a legal agricultural workforce for eligible employers.

• Allow temporary agricultural positions to last up to 350 days, rather than being limited by the current 10-month structure.

• Provide a pathway for certain year-round or near year-round agricultural operations to participate in the program.

• Allow some landscape companies to use H-2A workers for installation-only work.

• Authorize H-2A workers to perform certain packing and transportation functions directly connected to agriculture.

• Provide greater long-term wage certainty by codifying the current Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology (the same as the Interim Final Rule)

• Streamline application, certification, and hiring processes to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens while maintaining protections for U.S. workers.

  
  

For Georgia’s green industry, these changes matter. Nursery and greenhouse production, landscape installation, and other horticulture-related businesses all face ongoing workforce challenges. A more stable, predictable, and workable H-2A program would help employers meet labor needs, reduce uncertainty, and keep more agricultural and horticultural production here in the United States.

The bill was introduced with strong bipartisan support, including 49 original cosponsors. Georgia original cosponsors include Congressman Rick Allen, Congressman Austin Scott, and Congressman Brian Jack.  

This bill is not yet law, and there is still significant work ahead. However, its introduction represents one of the most serious congressional efforts in decades to modernize agricultural workforce policy.

GGIA will continue working with our coalition partners and national allies to advocate for reforms that support Georgia’s green industry, protect access to a legal and reliable workforce, and help ensure that American agriculture remains viable and competitive.

We encourage all Georgia green industry businesses, partners, and stakeholders to contact their member of Congress and ask them to support the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026.

View Bill Text Here

View a High-Level Summary

Green industry businesses and partners can help build momentum for this legislation in two ways:

First, contact your member of Congress and ask them to support the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act. AmericanHort has made this easy through its advocacy platform, Voter Voice. Contact Congress: Support SAWA

Second, if your business or organization would like to be publicly listed as a supporter of the bill, you may add your endorsement through the House Agriculture Committee’s SAWA support page. Add Your Business or Organization as a Supporter