Ag Workforce Passes House

The National Grange appreciates action by the House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act by a vote of 247-174. “This action will go a long way toward relieving the ag labor shortage on our farms and ranches,” said National Grange president Betsy Huber.  “Now we have to work on the Senate.” The bill, H.R. 1603, sponsored by Zoe Lofgren, D-CA. and Dan Newhouse, R-WA., for the first time allows 20,000 year-round visas per year, provides for numbers to increase or decrease depending on demand,  includes provisions to help farms renovate or build housing,  streamlines the H-2A application process and caps wage rates increases at 3.5% for nine years.  Existing undocumented farmworkers can get temporary legal status if they’ve worked in agriculture at least 180 days over the last two years.  Farmworkers can also earn a green card by paying a fine and continuing to work on farms for an additional period of time.