[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1697 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1697

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a special rule 
     for the period of admission of H-2A nonimmigrants employed as 
 sheepherders, goat herders, or dairy farmers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 12, 2011

 Mr. Lee (for himself and Mr. Schumer) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a special rule 
     for the period of admission of H-2A nonimmigrants employed as 
 sheepherders, goat herders, or dairy farmers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dairy and Sheep H-2A Act'' or the 
``DASH Act''.

SEC. 2. NONIMMIGRANT STATUS FOR DAIRY WORKERS, SHEEPHERDERS, AND GOAT 
              HERDERS.

    Section 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a)) is amended by inserting ``or who is 
coming temporarily to the United States to perform agricultural labor 
or services as a sheepherder, goat herder, or dairy worker,'' after 
``of a temporary or seasonal nature,''.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RULE FOR PERIOD OF ADMISSION OF H-2A NONIMMIGRANTS 
              EMPLOYED AS SHEEPHERDERS, GOAT HERDERS, OR DAIRY WORKERS.

    Section 218(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1188(h)) is amended by adding at the end of the following:
            ``(3) In the case of an alien admitted as an H-2A worker 
        for employment as a sheepherder, goat herder, or dairy worker--
                    ``(A) the initial period of admission shall be for 
                a period of 3 years;
                    ``(B) the period of admission may be extended for 
                additional periods of 3 years; and
                    ``(C) no period of absence from the United States 
                may be required as a condition of approval of an 
                extension under subparagraph (B).''.

SEC. 4. PROVISIONS BY THE SECRETARY OF LABOR.

    The Secretary of Labor shall issue regulations that address the 
specific requirements for the provision of housing to sheepherders, 
goat herders, and dairy workers.

SEC. 5. SAVINGS PROVISION.

    Nothing in section 218 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1188), as amended by this Act, may be construed to preclude the 
Secretary of Labor or the Secretary of Homeland Security from 
continuing to apply special procedures and requirements to the 
admission and employment of aliens in occupations involving the range 
production of livestock.
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