Western Growers is calling on our members to add their names to the list of more than 500 nationwide stakeholder supporters of the recently introduced Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA).

Click on this link to register your support: SAWA Stakeholder Support.

Introduced by House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson on June 30, 2026, SAWA would modernize the H-2A program to better address the evolving labor needs of American agriculture. Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia participated in the bill’s introductory press conference in his role as co-chair of the Agricultural Workforce Coalition, underscoring the broad industry support behind the legislation.

The bill seeks to make the program more accessible, predictable and efficient for growers facing persistent workforce shortages:

• Expands Access to H-2A: Allows temporary agricultural job contracts of up to 350 days and extends eligibility to sectors with year-round labor needs that have historically been excluded from the program.
• Stabilizes Wages and Reduces Costs: Codifies recent reforms to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate methodology and limits annual wage fluctuations to a maximum 3.5% increase or 1.5% decrease.
• Streamlines Program Administration: Creates a single online platform for all H-2A labor certification and petition processes.

Click here for a more complete summary of the bill provisions.

For more information, contact Jonathan Sarager, Associate Vice President of Federal Government Affairs, at [email protected].