# 116-hr-8954: Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2020

116-hr-8954, Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2020, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (D-TX); status Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8954
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-8954
- Congress: 116
- Title: Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2020
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced: 2020-12-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] (D-TX)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Seasonal Worker Solidarity Act of 2020 This bill modifies the H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) visa program and expands protections for aliens who report workplace violations. Changes to the H-2B program include requiring the Department of Labor to establish a centralized national electronic platform for U.S. workers to find and apply for positions that employers are seeking to fill with H-2B workers; requiring employers to recruit U.S. workers nationwide, including by posting the openings on the platform, before applying for H-2B visas; requiring employers to guarantee at least 40 hours of paid work per week for each H-2B worker (currently employers may guarantee less paid hours in certain instances); requiring employers to pay for housing for H-2B workers and transportation to and from the work site (currently employers are allowed to deduct fees for lodgings from an H-2B worker's pay); modifying the requirements for determining the minimum wage for H-2B workers; and prioritizing H-2B visas for certain employers, such as those that pay higher wages. Furthermore, an alien who has worked a certain amount of time as an H-2B worker may obtain permanent resident status, subject to various requirements. In addition, an alien who is likely helpful in an investigation of a workplace claim (i.e., an alleged violation of law or workplace-related injury) may qualify for a U visa for victims of criminal activity. The bill also removes statutory numerical limitations on U visas. The bill also provides protections for certain aliens who file or assist in the investigation of workplace claims.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (D-CA), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Andy [D-MI-9] (D-MI), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] (D-CT), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2020-12-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-8015: Delivering for America Act
- 116-hr-7816: Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2020
- 116-hr-7673: Represent America Abroad Act of 2020
- 116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020
- 116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act
- 116-hr-5221: 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019

## Sources
- [116-hr-8954 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8954)

## Related
- [116-hr-8015: Delivering for America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8015)
- [116-hr-7816: Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7816)
- [116-hr-7673: Represent America Abroad Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7673)
- [116-hr-7120: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7120)
- [116-hr-7092: Great American Outdoors Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7092)
- [116-hr-5221: 100% Clean Economy Act of 2019](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-5221)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8954 (as of 2025-11-18).