With aging infrastructure and the continuing lack of housing, renovating and building new agricultural worker housing is more important now than ever. However, continuing pressure with lower commodity pricing and increased input costs has made it difficult for farmers to make these improvements and maintain competitiveness in the market.
At the same time, the overlapping of administrative oversight and inspection of agricultural worker housing requirements presents a fragmented format of rules. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Migrant Labor Housing Inspection Program is vital to agricultural employers and Michigan’s agricultural economy. This program verifies that agricultural employers have acceptable housing for employees and provides licensing for employers whose housing meets program standards/requirements. This licensing provides protection for both employers and employees.
We support:
- Legislation developing uniform housing standards and requirements across state and federal agencies for agricultural workers.
- MDARD being the sole inspecting licensor of agricultural worker housing in Michigan.
- The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) should recognize a current license issued by MDARD as proof agricultural worker housing is acceptable.
- Federal and other state agencies should be in audit positions only and shall refer any apparent violations to MDARD, rather than issuing an immediate penalty.
- That once agricultural housing is inspected and licensed by MDARD and then occupied, the USDOL and/or other agencies may not enter the dwellings, which are the homes of the employees, without the employee’s permission and proper advance notification to the farm owner.
- MDARD continuing to provide a publication explaining the current licensing, inspection procedures, and regulations for agricultural worker housing.
- The MDARD Migrant Labor Housing Inspection Program being a fully funded state program that includes pre-occupancy, post-occupancy and complaint-driven inspections, supplemented, if necessary, by reasonable fees based on licensed occupancy.
- The State of Michigan and MDARD providing licensing protection to employers who show a good faith effort to maintain their agricultural worker housing to MDARD standards.
- Once agricultural worker housing has been inspected and licensed, any violations created by the occupant should not be held against the licensee.
- Defining rights and responsibilities between an employer and an employee living in housing facilities provided rent-free by the employer, as well as procedures to be observed when the occupant is no longer an employee.
- Legislation that creates a not more than seven-day eviction process for employer provided housing.
- Increased state funding for agricultural worker housing development.
- Agricultural employers renovating or demolishing abandoned housing.