HCR 77 — CONGRESS: Memorializes the United States Congress, the President of the United States, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to take all necessary and appropriate actions to pass the H-2B Certified Seasonal Employer Designation and reclassify all job duties of the crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for purposes of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.

HLSENROLLED 26RS-4097 ENGROSSED Regular Session HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.

77 BY REPRESENTATIVES BUTLER, AMEDEE, BAGLEY, BOUDREAUX, BOYD, BRAUD, BROUSSARD, CHASSION, COATES, FISHER,DEWITT, TRAVISDICKERSON, JOHNSON,ECHOLS,EGAN,FISHER,HEBERT,HORTON,TRAVISJOHNSON,MILLER, SAWYER, SCHAMERHORN, WALTERS, WYBLE, AND SCHAMERHORNZERINGUE CONGRESS:AND SENATORSALLAIN,BASS,CATHEY,EDMONDS,FESI,HENRY,JACKSON- ANDREWS, MILLER, TALBOT, WHEAT, AND WOMACK A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION To memorialize the United States Congress, the President of the United States, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to take all necessary and appropriate actionstopasstheH-2BCertifiedSeasonalEmployerDesignationandreclassifyall job duties of the crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for purposes of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.

MemorializestheUnitedStates Congress,thePresidentoftheUnitedStates, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to take all necessary and appropriate actions to pass the H-2B Certified Seasonal Employer Designation and reclassify all job duties of the crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for purposes of the H-2A TemporaryAgricultural Worker Program.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION To memorialize the United States Congress, the President of the United States, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to take all necessary and appropriate actionstopasstheH-2BCertifiedSeasonalEmployerDesignationandreclassifyall job duties of the crawfish industry as agricultural labor services for purposes of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.

and WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2025, approximately eight thousand one hundred sixty- threeH-2Bpositions werecertifiedin Louisiana,ofwhichoverthreethousandonehundredLouisiana, of whichoverthreethousandonehundred thirty-eight were in crawfish and seafood processing occupations and over two thousand were in landscaping;

and WHEREAS,studiesshowthatWHEREAS,studiesshowthateachH-2Bworkersupports eachH-2Bworkersupports between3.2and4.6jobs for Americanworkers,and the H-2BH-2Bvisa visa program supports over twenty-five thousand jobs in Louisiana;

and Page 1 of 4 HLS 26RS-4097 ENGROSSED HCR NO.

77 ENROLLED WHEREAS, studies show the crawfish industry contributes over three hundred million dollarstotheLouisianaeconomyannuallywhilethegreenindustrycontributesoverdollarsto theLouisianaeconomyannuallywhilethegreenindustrycontributesover two billion dollars;

and WHEREAS,arecentsurveybyUnleashProsperityshowsthat,duetotheinsufficient number of visas and the processingprocessingdelays, delays, close to half of seasonal H-2BemployersH-2B employers do not expect to be profitable in 2026, including most of our state's crawfish processors and landscapers, making this an urgent threat to the Louisiana economy;

and WHEREAS,handling,weighing,washing,grading,processing,peeling,packaging,WHEREAS,handling, weighing,washing,grading,processing,peeling,packaging, andfreezingofcrawfishforsalearefundamentallytiedto aquaculturalproduction,forming acontinuouschainoftimelyexecutedoperationsessentialformovingtheproductfromfarm to market;

and WHEREAS, Louisiana’s crawfishand landscaping employers are facing increasing competitionfromemployersenteringtheH-2Bprogramafterpreviouslyhiringillegalaliens, Page 2 of 4 HLS 26RS-4097 ENGROSSED HCR NO.

77 WHEREAS,ENROLLED Louisiana’s crawfish and landscaping employers are facingincreasing competitionfromemployersenteringtheH-2Bprogramafterpreviouslyhiringillegalaliens, with demand for the H-2B program having increased by seventy percent over the past five years and by eight percent year-over-year;

and WHEREAS, despite the seasonalityseasonalityand and agricultural nature of Louisiana's crawfish industry, current federal regulations classify job duties involving crawfish processing and related work as nonagricultural, restricting employers to the oversubscribed and highly competitive H-2B Temporary Non-agricultural Workers Program;

and WHEREAS, ensuringanadequate,legal,anddependablelaborensuringan supplyisadequate,legal, and dependablelaborsupplyis vital to the survival of Louisiana's crawfish farmers, processors, landscapers, and associated rural economies.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby memorializetheUnitedStatesCongress,thePresidentoftheUnitedStates,theUnitedStates Department of Labor, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the LouisianaCongressionalDelegationtotakeallnecessaryandappropriateactionstopassthe H-2BH-2BCertified Certified Seasonal Employer Designation and reclassifyall job duties of the crawfish Pageindustry 3as agricultural labor services for purposes of 4the HLSH-2A 26RS-4097Temporary ENGROSSEDAgricultural HCRWorker NO.Program.

77Page industry3 as agricultural labor services for purposes of the4 H-2AHCR TemporaryNO. Agricultural Worker Program.

77 ENROLLED BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that reclassification should include revisions to federal statutes, regulations, or administrative interpretations, as needed, to ensure that Louisiana crawfish producers and processors will be able to utilize the H-2A program to meettheiressentialseasonalworkforceneedsimmediatelyandthatlong-standing,compliant users of the H-2B program be designated as certified seasonal employers.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the secretaryof the United States Department of Labor, the secretaryof the United States DepartmentofDepartment of Homeland Security, the majorityand minority leaders of the United States Senate, the speaker and minority leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation.

DIGESTSPEAKER ThedigestprintedbelowwaspreparedbyHouseLegislativeOF Services.THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE Page 4 of 4

It constitutes nopart of the legislative instrument.

The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent.

[R.S.

1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HCR 77 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Butler MemorializestheU.S.Congress,theU.S.

President,theU.S.

Dept.ofLabor,theU.S.

Dept.

of Homeland Security, and the La.

Congressional Delegation to take all necessary and appropriateactionstopasstheH-2BCertifiedSeasonalEmployerDesignationandreclassify all jobdutiesofthecrawfishindustryasagriculturallaborservicesforpurposesoftheH-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program.

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