ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Larry Hogan is urging federal officials to allow more H-2B visas for foreign workers to help the state's $355 million seafood industry and seasonal employers.
The Republican governor made the request in a letter Tuesday to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia.
Hogan also called for a long-term solution to provide certainty to rural parts of Maryland, particularly the Eastern Shore.
The governor says in a typical year, 500 H-2B seasonal workers are needed for Maryland's 20 licensed crab picking houses.
The number of H-2B visas is now capped at 66,000 nationally.
