The bill establishes new requirements for the collection of data related to the H-2A worker program and hand harvesters in Washington State. It mandates that the Department of Employment Security conduct field checks of employers to gather information on the number of H-2A workers at each work site and their living locations. Additionally, the department is required to compile and compare this data with the number of workers requested in the employers' H-2A applications and report the findings to an advisory committee quarterly.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a comprehensive annual wage survey for non-H-2A workers involved in hand harvesting specific fruits, including apples, cherries, pears, and blueberries. The survey aims to collect detailed information on wage rates, demographics, and employment conditions, with a target of receiving responses from at least 2,800 workers. The department is also authorized to provide incentive payments to survey participants and must submit an annual report to the legislature summarizing the survey results. The bill includes a provision ensuring that if any part conflicts with federal requirements, that part will be inoperative, but the remainder of the act will still apply.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 50.75.020