AgJOBS may see best chance for Senate vote
AgJOBS may see best chance for Senate vote
WASHINGTON " More than two dozen produce groups are urging the Senate to approve agriculture worker reform legislation, known as AgJOBS, that may be offered on the Senate floor during the week of April 11.
A reformed H-2A worker program is absolutely critical to all labor-intensive agriculture sectors, said Craig Regelbrugge, senior director of government relations for the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
Mr. Regelbrugge said that the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits & Security Act of 2005, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), may be offered as an amendment to a supplemental spending bill being debated on the Senate floor. Five years in the making, the bipartisan legislation may get its best chance at a Senate vote as an amendment to a fast-moving spending bill drafted to pay for the war in Iraq.
The AgJOBS bill is critical not only to growers but to workers that operate the entire foodservice sector, said Jerry Welcome, president of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association. "We applaud Senator Craig?s efforts on this critical workforce issue. This is a fair and equitable approach that will help the fresh-cut industry and agricultural sector deal with a chronic agricultural labor shortage."
Messrs. Regelbrugge and Welcome said that stricter enforcement of immigration rules since Sept. 11, 2001 resulted in labor shortages in the Yuma, AZ, region this winter. Farmworker buses were stopped and workers deported the same day, said Mr. Regelbrugge.
As a result, some lettuce fields were not harvested this winter because of the severe labor shortages, pointing to the need for a stable, legal workforce, said Mr. Welcome.
Supporters of the AgJOBS legislation say it can be attached to the supplemental spending bill because the House already opened up the immigration issue by attaching the controversial Real ID Act, a piece of legislation that would bar federal agencies from accepting for any official purpose state-issued identification cards or driver?s licenses that could have been issued without verifying the recipient?s immigration status. The bill also would make it tougher for some people to seek asylum in the United States.
With the latest anti-immigration fervor, it is unclear whether Sen. Craig?s language would survive intense debate on the Senate floor, as some critics believe the issue should be dealt with in the context of a comprehensive immigration reform measure or fear the bill would give too many workers amnesty.
The industry that relies on agriculture workers argues that its sector is facing an immediate crisis and that it should not have to wait for immigration reform, which could take Congress a long time to work out, said Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.
According to a United fact sheet, Sen. Craig?s bill would allow workers to get better working conditions, growers to get a stable workforce, and consumers to get a safe and stable American-grown food supply.
The chronic labor shortage and the improved border security may mean that Americans will be forced to rely increasingly on an imported food supply. The legislation also would improve border security by allowing up to 500,000 workers to register with a government program that adjusts them to legal status.
A reformed H-2A worker program is absolutely critical to all labor-intensive agriculture sectors, said Craig Regelbrugge, senior director of government relations for the American Nursery & Landscape Association.
Mr. Regelbrugge said that the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits & Security Act of 2005, sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), may be offered as an amendment to a supplemental spending bill being debated on the Senate floor. Five years in the making, the bipartisan legislation may get its best chance at a Senate vote as an amendment to a fast-moving spending bill drafted to pay for the war in Iraq.
The AgJOBS bill is critical not only to growers but to workers that operate the entire foodservice sector, said Jerry Welcome, president of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association. "We applaud Senator Craig?s efforts on this critical workforce issue. This is a fair and equitable approach that will help the fresh-cut industry and agricultural sector deal with a chronic agricultural labor shortage."
Messrs. Regelbrugge and Welcome said that stricter enforcement of immigration rules since Sept. 11, 2001 resulted in labor shortages in the Yuma, AZ, region this winter. Farmworker buses were stopped and workers deported the same day, said Mr. Regelbrugge.
As a result, some lettuce fields were not harvested this winter because of the severe labor shortages, pointing to the need for a stable, legal workforce, said Mr. Welcome.
Supporters of the AgJOBS legislation say it can be attached to the supplemental spending bill because the House already opened up the immigration issue by attaching the controversial Real ID Act, a piece of legislation that would bar federal agencies from accepting for any official purpose state-issued identification cards or driver?s licenses that could have been issued without verifying the recipient?s immigration status. The bill also would make it tougher for some people to seek asylum in the United States.
With the latest anti-immigration fervor, it is unclear whether Sen. Craig?s language would survive intense debate on the Senate floor, as some critics believe the issue should be dealt with in the context of a comprehensive immigration reform measure or fear the bill would give too many workers amnesty.
The industry that relies on agriculture workers argues that its sector is facing an immediate crisis and that it should not have to wait for immigration reform, which could take Congress a long time to work out, said Robert Guenther of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.
According to a United fact sheet, Sen. Craig?s bill would allow workers to get better working conditions, growers to get a stable workforce, and consumers to get a safe and stable American-grown food supply.
The chronic labor shortage and the improved border security may mean that Americans will be forced to rely increasingly on an imported food supply. The legislation also would improve border security by allowing up to 500,000 workers to register with a government program that adjusts them to legal status.
