Rep. Jim Costa, Bipartisan Lawmakers Push Ag Labor Reform to Protect American Agriculture
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA-21), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), David Valadao (R-CA-22), and Adam Gray (D-CA-13) reintroduced H.R. 3227 - Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan workforce solution for America's agriculture industry, one of the most critical sectors of the national economy.
“American agriculture depends on a reliable workforce and nowhere is that more true than in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where farmworkers are the backbone of our economy. This legislation is a common-sense, bipartisan solution that provides stability for our farmers and dignity for the workers who feed America. If President Trump is serious about fixing our broken immigration system, he should work with us to get this bill across the finish line,” said Rep. Jim Costa.
BACKGROUND
The San Joaquin Valley is the backbone of American agriculture, producing over 250 crops and feeding the nation. But year after year, our farmers and farmworkers face the same broken system: labor shortages, uncertainty, and outdated visa programs that don’t reflect the needs of today’s workforce.
Negotiated over eight months in 2019 with input from Valley farmers, labor organizations, and farmworker advocates, this legislation became the first ag labor reform bill to pass the House since 1986. Since then, a bipartisan coalition has pushed to keep it moving, because the San Joaquin Valley and agricultural regions across America need it.
The bill:
Reforms the H-2A program to provide more flexibility for employers, while ensuring critical protections for workers.
Establishes a program for agricultural workers in the United States to choose to earn legal status through continued agricultural employment and contribution to the U.S. agricultural economy.
Focuses on modifications to make the program more responsive and user-friendly for employers and provides access to the program for industries with year-round labor needs.
WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
“The men and women who work America’s farms feed the nation. However, in the past few years, we’ve seen labor shortages contribute to high food prices,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. “As economic chaos and confusion continues, it is essential we provide stability to this critical workforce. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would do so, which will protect the future of our farms and our food supply. It is well-past time we get this bipartisan legislation twice passed by the House of Representatives to the President’s desk.”
“The workforce crisis has come to a boiling point for farmers across the country. Reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act sends a clear message to farmers that we are working hard to find solutions that ease the burdens brought on by the current state of the H-2A program. This legislation is necessary to lay the groundwork for continued negotiations, and I am committed to working closely with my colleagues to enact long-term, durable reforms to our agriculture guest worker programs. This issue has been, and remains, my top priority and unified Republican government is an opportunity to deliver for our farmers and ranchers,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse.
“Across America, farm workers are still going to work everyday to put food on our tables,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “Yet even as they feed our nation, too many farm workers are living in fear and uncertainty. The farm workers who feed America have earned the right to call America home. This bipartisan, common sense legislation will create an opportunity for these workers to step out of the shadows and become full members of the society they feed.”
With the reintroduction of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, we thank Representatives Lofgren and Newhouse for their continued leadership on this important issue. During this legislative process, we implore Congress to provide much-needed updates to this bill to provide both immediate relief and long-lasting solutions for American agriculture. As always, we stand ready to engage with our elected officials on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of congress to develop legislation that can be signed into law,” said Western Growers’ CEO Dave Puglia.
MORE ABOUT THE BILL: