Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) has introduced the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act (H.R. 3734), legislation that would help alleviate the worker shortage in the construction industry by establishing a market-driven visa system to help employers find more laborers.

Employers would be required to prove they were unable to find American workers for vacant positions, pay them fair wages based on local wage data, and use E-Verify to make sure only legal immigrants are hired. NAHB believes that such a temporary, flexible visa system would help address the chronic labor shortage in the residential construction industry.

Learn more about addressing the workforce shortage issue on nahb.org.

*Note: All articles have been redistributed from NAHBnow.com*