# What the FARMS Act Actually Does

This bill is about the wages that foreign workers on temporary visas must be paid. Specifically, it deals with something called the "adverse effect wage rate," which is basically a minimum wage floor set by the Department of Labor for temporary agricultural and other workers brought into the country on H-2B visas. The bill gives the Secretary of Labor permission to freeze this wage rate at whatever level it's currently at for two years, even if there's a problem with how that rate is calculated.

Here's why this matters: The adverse effect wage rate is designed to protect American workers by ensuring that when employers bring in temporary foreign workers, they have to pay them enough that it doesn't undercut what American workers earn for the same jobs. If the wage rate is too low, it could make it cheaper for employers to hire foreign workers instead of Americans. The bill essentially says that if the Labor Department can't figure out a proper way to calculate what this wage should be, they can just keep using the old number for two years instead of having to come up with a new one.

The practical impact is that employers who use temporary foreign workers would have more certainty about what they'll have to pay these workers—the wage won't change for at least two years. However, this also means that if the wage rate should have gone up based on economic conditions or other factors, it won't. For American workers in industries that rely on temporary foreign labor, this could potentially make it easier for employers to hire foreign workers instead of raising wages to attract American employees. The bill essentially pauses any wage adjustments during this two-year period.