U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced this week that she has added provisions to a new spending bill that will make it easier for Alaska seafood processors to hire foreign workers.
Murkowski added language to the 2016 state and foreign operations spending bill that extends the J-1 visa program through the next fiscal year. Alaska processors often rely upon foreign workers to handle seasonal volumes, when there aren't enough local applicants.
“Alaska’s seafood processors consistently struggle to hire the workers they need during peak summer seasons, and the J-1 visa program offers an avenue to responsibly staff them when the local workforce just isn’t there,” said Murkowski. “Seafood processors from Naknek to Kodiak to Ketchikan rely on this program when they cannot hire Alaskans or workers from the Lower 48, so I commend my committee colleagues – whether they share the coastal and seasonal needs we face or not – for understanding the need to continue this program.”
The bill allows the J-1 visa program, also known as the summer work travel program, to by used to hire seafood processing workers until 30 September 2016. The bill passed out of committee today and now heads to the U.S. Senate floor for a vote.
