# 119-hr-7682: Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2026

119-hr-7682, Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7682
- As of: 2026-04-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7682
- Congress: 119
- Title: Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1] (R-MI)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: unknown
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-23

## Summary

**Tie the H-2B cap to actual certified job demand.** The Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2026 would remake the H-2B program by linking visa limits to Department of Labor certifications, adding worker protections, and ramping up employer accountability. - Employers: Would replace the fixed 33,000 cap with a cap equal to half of the prior year's Department of Labor certified positions, require electronic notices within three business days for no-shows and early terminations, and raise penalties including the increase from $150 to $350 and civil fines of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation. These changes create new compliance and reporting costs for employers. - H-2B workers: Would get stronger protections. Employers must keep a written worksite safety and compliance plan in English and other needed languages. The bill bans recruiter or employer fees for petition-related activities and creates a two-year window for complaints plus strong anti-retaliation rules. - Rural and seasonal employers and communities: Would gain a targeted exemption from the numerical cap for jobs that meet a defined geographic and population test, excluding places in metropolitan areas or towns with 20,000 or more people. - Program access and integrity: Would limit initial approvals to nationals of countries designated by DHS with State concurrence based on fraud, overstay, and other metrics. The bill also expands document disclosure, interagency data sharing, and disqualification for willful or repeated violations.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3] (D-MI), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger protections for H-2B workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Labor Department would set up a formal process to take and investigate H-2B complaints. You could file a complaint within 2 years, and the Secretary could require unpaid wages, unpaid benefits, damages, and civil penalties, and could bar employers from the H-2B program for up to 5 y…
- New employer rules for H-2B hires: mixed, medium. If enacted, employers who hire H-2B workers would face new reporting, recordkeeping, and penalty rules. Employers would have to send electronic notices to DHS within 3 business days when a worker misses the first 5 workdays, quits more than 30 days early, is fired before the job ends, or misses 5 c…
- Who can get H-2B visas: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would limit initial H-2B approvals to nationals of countries that DHS and the State Department designate, using fraud, denial, overstay, and repatriation factors, and each listing would last one year. DHS could still approve individual beneficiaries from non-listed countries wh…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1357: Susan Muffley Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7682 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7682)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [119-hr-1357: Susan Muffley Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1357)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7682 (as of 2026-04-23).