Wafla Written Testimony on ESB 6072 – WA Cares Recommendations
Wafla Written Testimony on ESB 6072 – WA Cares Recommendations
Wafla Written Testimony on ESB 6072 – WA Cares Recommendations
House Health Care & Wellness Committee
Public Hearing, February 20, 2024
Dear Chair Riccelli and members of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee,
Wafla is a nonprofit organization specializing in agricultural human resource issues and the facilitation of H-2A, H-2B, and other visas for farmers and farmworkers.
Wafla supports section 6 of ESB 6072.
Currently, the WA Cares program allows for a voluntary opt-out for nonimmigrant visa holders. These workers come to the U.S. through more than a dozen different visa programs, work for a temporary period of time, and then return to their home countries. Most of these workers are unlikely to reside long-term in the state of Washington and take advantage of the WA Cares program.
This past year, the current voluntary opt-out process resulted in huge administrative burdens for guest workers, employers, and the Employment Security Department.
Section 6 solves this problem with a blanket exemption for nonimmigrant visa holders. This change will greatly reduce the time, costs, and paperwork involved in processing exemptions, while also allowing nonimmigrant workers to opt into the program if they want to. The changes contained in Section 6 will result in a system that is easier to administer and that is more fair to workers, employers, and agency personnel.
We commend section 6 to you and ask that you move it forward in the legislative process. Thank you.