Produce industry hails committee-approved guest worker bill
Produce industry hails committee-approved guest worker bill
WASHINGTON -- The produce industry welcomed news that a Senate committee approved a guest worker program for agricultural workers last week, but the battle is far from over.
Racing against the clock, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a comprehensive guest worker bill during a day- long session that included an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) designed to maintain an agricultural workforce. By an 11-5 vote, the Feinstein amendment was attached to a bill destined for the Senate floor in the coming days.
"The thrust of this proposal is to create a legalized workforce for the agriculture industry," Sen. Feinstein said. "I recognize this is a very emotional issue. But the reason I chose this industry is I know they are dependent on this labor."
With the Senate expected to continue debating the issue for a few weeks, produce groups are telling their members that now is the time to contact lawmakers and weigh in on the need for an agriculture component to guest worker reform.
"It's a great start," said Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association. "But we've still got work to do to get it passed on the Senate floor. We're also still looking at the details of how the bill blends with the H2A program and the broader guest worker program."
United is checking to make sure that the legislation helps a broad array of employees in the produce industry, from field workers to truck drivers to people working in the distribution stage of produce handling.
"The committee's action goes a long way towards bringing sensible solutions to the produce farms of America because without comprehensive immigration reform and guest worker programs, the impact on our nation's economy would be disastrous as our food supply is outsourced and jobs are lost," said Lee Mannering of the Produce Marketing Association.
"We also realize that lying ahead is contentious debate on the floor of the Senate and, if the bill passes, then reconciliation with the House bill. There are many hurdles still to cross in those two areas," Mr. Mannering added. Even if the Senate passes a comprehensive immigration reform measure, it would need to be reconciled with a House-passed border security bill that contains no guest worker language.
"We are elated that the Senate Judiciary Committee saw the wisdom in coming up with a bill which could provide agriculture with the means to survive as an industry in the foreseeable future, namely a viable guest worker program," said Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers Association. "It took a great deal of political courage for the members of this committee to come up with a bill on immigration reform. We appeal to all of our legislators to now show the same kind of courage to do what needs to be done: Fix our broken immigration policy and come up with an immigration reform package that our nation can be proud of."
But the future is far from clear in the Senate, particularly in an election year. Immigration reform has caused a tear in the Republican Party, with the conservatives firmly supporting a border enforcement approach and others favoring a guest worker plan for the undocumented workers who play a role in propping up the agriculture, restaurant, construction and other industries. No one is forgetting that it's an election year, particularly as news reports show hundreds of thousands of people rallying for reform in major cities across the country.
Much will depend on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is expected to introduce an enforcement-only approach to immigration in the coming days but allow the Senate Judiciary Committee bill to come up on the Senate floor for a vote. The debate is expected to be emotional.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee debate, Sen. John Kyl (R-TX) said he opposed the bill, noting that temporary workers should go home after five years and that legal workers would be penalized by undocumented workers who become U.S. citizens.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee let the American people down by passing out a blanket amnesty bill," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who voted against the measure. "The proper approach is to first fix the enforcement system and then to undertake a national discussion about immigration, considering how to justly handle those here illegally and what rules should govern future immigration levels."
But the House-passed approach to undocumented workers would be potentially devastating to Florida growers, warned Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Mike Stuart. "Our economy is structured in such a way as it is highly dependent on agriculture, hospitality and construction workers."
Under the Feinstein amendment, 1.5 million undocumented agricultural workers would apply for a blue card if they could demonstrate they've worked in U.S. agriculture for at least 150 days within the past two years. Blue-card holders would have to prove that they've worked for another 150 days per year for three years as farmworkers, or 100 days per year for five years, to become eligible for a green card.
Calling it a five-year earned adjustment program, Ms. Feinstein's amendment would allow certain undocumented agricultural workers to legalize their immigration status in the United States and adopt the AgJobs approach to updating the current H2A program.
John McClung, president of the Texas Produce Association, said he is cautiously optimistic that a guest worker program will survive the Senate floor. He said that the Feinstein amendment was "consistent with what we wanted," and that the March lobbying blitz by produce groups really helped the cause on Capitol Hill.
"There are real pitfalls possible, though," Mr. McClung warned. Either the Senate could pass an enforcement-only bill, which he said would be a disaster, or [it could] drop the ball on immigration reform altogether this year. It may be more likely that the Senate approves an immigration reform bill with guest worker provisions, he said.
Mr. Guenther of United said that he hopes the Bush administration weighs in more heavily on the debate in the coming days. President Bush says he supports a guest worker program, but has offered few details of his vision.
Racing against the clock, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a comprehensive guest worker bill during a day- long session that included an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) designed to maintain an agricultural workforce. By an 11-5 vote, the Feinstein amendment was attached to a bill destined for the Senate floor in the coming days.
"The thrust of this proposal is to create a legalized workforce for the agriculture industry," Sen. Feinstein said. "I recognize this is a very emotional issue. But the reason I chose this industry is I know they are dependent on this labor."
With the Senate expected to continue debating the issue for a few weeks, produce groups are telling their members that now is the time to contact lawmakers and weigh in on the need for an agriculture component to guest worker reform.
"It's a great start," said Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association. "But we've still got work to do to get it passed on the Senate floor. We're also still looking at the details of how the bill blends with the H2A program and the broader guest worker program."
United is checking to make sure that the legislation helps a broad array of employees in the produce industry, from field workers to truck drivers to people working in the distribution stage of produce handling.
"The committee's action goes a long way towards bringing sensible solutions to the produce farms of America because without comprehensive immigration reform and guest worker programs, the impact on our nation's economy would be disastrous as our food supply is outsourced and jobs are lost," said Lee Mannering of the Produce Marketing Association.
"We also realize that lying ahead is contentious debate on the floor of the Senate and, if the bill passes, then reconciliation with the House bill. There are many hurdles still to cross in those two areas," Mr. Mannering added. Even if the Senate passes a comprehensive immigration reform measure, it would need to be reconciled with a House-passed border security bill that contains no guest worker language.
"We are elated that the Senate Judiciary Committee saw the wisdom in coming up with a bill which could provide agriculture with the means to survive as an industry in the foreseeable future, namely a viable guest worker program," said Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers Association. "It took a great deal of political courage for the members of this committee to come up with a bill on immigration reform. We appeal to all of our legislators to now show the same kind of courage to do what needs to be done: Fix our broken immigration policy and come up with an immigration reform package that our nation can be proud of."
But the future is far from clear in the Senate, particularly in an election year. Immigration reform has caused a tear in the Republican Party, with the conservatives firmly supporting a border enforcement approach and others favoring a guest worker plan for the undocumented workers who play a role in propping up the agriculture, restaurant, construction and other industries. No one is forgetting that it's an election year, particularly as news reports show hundreds of thousands of people rallying for reform in major cities across the country.
Much will depend on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is expected to introduce an enforcement-only approach to immigration in the coming days but allow the Senate Judiciary Committee bill to come up on the Senate floor for a vote. The debate is expected to be emotional.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee debate, Sen. John Kyl (R-TX) said he opposed the bill, noting that temporary workers should go home after five years and that legal workers would be penalized by undocumented workers who become U.S. citizens.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee let the American people down by passing out a blanket amnesty bill," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who voted against the measure. "The proper approach is to first fix the enforcement system and then to undertake a national discussion about immigration, considering how to justly handle those here illegally and what rules should govern future immigration levels."
But the House-passed approach to undocumented workers would be potentially devastating to Florida growers, warned Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Mike Stuart. "Our economy is structured in such a way as it is highly dependent on agriculture, hospitality and construction workers."
Under the Feinstein amendment, 1.5 million undocumented agricultural workers would apply for a blue card if they could demonstrate they've worked in U.S. agriculture for at least 150 days within the past two years. Blue-card holders would have to prove that they've worked for another 150 days per year for three years as farmworkers, or 100 days per year for five years, to become eligible for a green card.
Calling it a five-year earned adjustment program, Ms. Feinstein's amendment would allow certain undocumented agricultural workers to legalize their immigration status in the United States and adopt the AgJobs approach to updating the current H2A program.
John McClung, president of the Texas Produce Association, said he is cautiously optimistic that a guest worker program will survive the Senate floor. He said that the Feinstein amendment was "consistent with what we wanted," and that the March lobbying blitz by produce groups really helped the cause on Capitol Hill.
"There are real pitfalls possible, though," Mr. McClung warned. Either the Senate could pass an enforcement-only bill, which he said would be a disaster, or [it could] drop the ball on immigration reform altogether this year. It may be more likely that the Senate approves an immigration reform bill with guest worker provisions, he said.
Mr. Guenther of United said that he hopes the Bush administration weighs in more heavily on the debate in the coming days. President Bush says he supports a guest worker program, but has offered few details of his vision.
