WASHINGTON, DC – The House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act on Thursday in a bipartisan 247-174 vote. The main goal of the legislation would be to amend the H-2A program for agricultural guest workers, allowing a capped number of visas to allow farmworkers to be available year-round. In addition, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, foreign farmworkers could earn temporary status in the U.S. if they’ve worked at least 180 days over the past two years, and their spouses and children would also be eligible to apply for temporary status. The legislation, as passed, would also create a pathway to the “golden” Green Card which allows a foreigner the opportunity to live and work permanently in the United States. The Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. G.T. Thompson (PA-R) was quoted by the Pittsburg Post-Gazette that he’s in favor of a merit-based immigration system but also says there’s nothing “wrong with a country looking out for its own interests, and that means workforce.” As a co-sponsor of the legislation, Thompson added that “without a workforce, herds are not going to get milked or tended to, and crops are not going to get planted or they’re going to get plowed under.” This is an issue that every Congress deals with but has not been able to solve since a broad immigration bill passed 35 years ago (in 1986).
(SOURCE: All Ag News)