Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/16/19

The 489-page rulereleased Monday to modify the H-2A visa certification process would also alter the calculations used to set minimum wages for guest-workers, among other changes aimed at overhauling the Labor Department program that farmers increasingly rely on amid a chronic labor shortage.

Under the proposal, DOL would set specific wage rates for various agricultural occupations, rather than use a single minimum wage rate per state. The rule would also boost certain protections for workers, like guaranteeing that housing and accommodations provided by farmers are up to federal standards, and it would give employers the option of staggering the entry of H-2A workers authorized under a single application. Liz has all the details here.

Meanwhile, the EPA has sent the White House its final rule to repeal the Obama administration's Waters of the U.S. rule, Pro Energy's Annie Snider reports. It's Part 1 of the EPA's plan to "repeal and replace" the previous WOTUS rule by December. But legal battles are ongoing in courts across the country over the validity of the 2015 rule.

There's more! The White House has also launched its review of a final Homeland Security rule that could block immigrants from becoming permanent residents if they've received certain government benefits or are deemed likely to do so in the future. That would include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.