On Monday, we need to light up the phone lines to Congress.
We must rally our forces to make sure that Congress re-instates the Returning Worker Exemption that allows our temporary migrant work force to be in the U.S. legally for 10 months a year, return to their home country for two and then come back to work at our racetracks, training facilities and farms. It’s called an H-2B visa. We can’t overemphasize that those holding H-2B visas are in the country legally. As we know, these are jobs that otherwise would be hard to fill.
Finding seasonal labor to take care of our horses will become a nightmare without these men and women (and it’s not just racing impacted, but many small businesses). Time is of the essence as Congress is expected to vote on this in a matter of days.
Here’s how you can help:
On Monday, when their offices will be open, call Sen. Mitch McConnell at (202) 224-2541 and Rep. Hal Rogers at (202)225-4601 in Washington, D.C. Once connected to the office, ask to speak to the person who handles H-2B issues. Tell them Congress must understand that a failure to reinstate the H-2B returning worker exemption before March of next year will hurt the horse racing industry and will result in the loss of jobs in Kentucky and around the country.
In the meantime, tweet #saveH2B to @SenateMajLdr and @RepHalRogers and others in Congress with a message on the lines of “Include returning worker exemption to H-2B program in CR – Kentucky jobs are at stake!” Another to tag is @HouseAppropsGOP,
You can learn more following @H2Bworkforce, which stresses that H2B protects American workers by ensuring small and seasonal employers have access to legal temporary workers during peak times.
