(Washington, DC)  – Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R-South Louisiana), released the following statement after co-signing a letter to keep excessive costs and burdens down for small, South Louisiana agricultural businesses that depend upon the H-2B program:

“The Department of Labor (DOL), in conjunction with the Obama Administration, continues to make it more difficult for small businesses in South Louisiana to thrive. The latest of these rules from the DOL imposes excessive costs on small businesses that depend upon the H-2B program. The courts have intervened and stopped the over-reaching DOL in its tracks. I remain in opposition to these rules and in favor of small businesses. However, the DOL appears determined to implement these policies harming many industries on the Gulf Coast like small businesses in the crawfish industry. One way to avoid significant expenses to our region’s small businesses is for DOL to withdraw these ill-advised rules. I will continue to stand up for South Louisiana’s small businesses and industries against big government.”

Michael Hensgens, board member of the Crawfish Processors Alliance (CPA), added, “Processors employ both full-time employees and seasonal, legal, returning H-2B workers who return year after year to peel and package both crawfish tail meat and whole cooked crawfish.  The ability to hire H-2B seasonal employees has allowed Louisiana crawfish processors to purchase the available catch from crawfishermen on a daily basis, benefiting the crawfishmen’s cash flow while preventing dead-loss of these young and tender crawfish.  The wage rule proposed by DOL was put on hold by a court injunction. The second program rule where processors have to guarantee 75% of wages to all employees, even if a natural disaster occurred, would effectively close all domestic crawfish processing since the risk posed by Mother Nature would be much too high for processors to overcome. These efforts by the DOL will severely cripple and ruin our crawfish industry.  Other seasonal industries in Louisiana will be similarly affected.  When your business depends on a timely harvest with a perishable product, you need extra hands willing to work during that particular season.

Hensgens continued, “Congressman Boustany completely understands the threats facing the industry. His leadership on this issue has been present for years, and I am thankful he has chosen to speak against the DOL’s recent rules.”

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The Department of Labor (DOL) recently finalized two rules that would impose excessive costs and burdens on small businesses that depend upon the H-2B program. Congressional opposition to the rules has been bipartisan and bicameral, and Boustany fought to delay one of the rules (wage rule) in the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-74).  Both rules have been challenged in court by businesses, and recently a federal court issued a preliminary injunction on the H-2B program rule. 

The Crawfish Processors Alliance is the recognized leader on H-2B issues at state and national level with over 6 years involvement dealing with the H-2B CAP of 66,000 each year.