Issues

Workforce Relief for the Agriculture Industry

Workforce relief for the agriculture industry relying on legal foreign workers using the H-2A non-immigrant visa program

    Replacing the Bracera program that supplied labor to farmers during World War II, the H-2A visa program is solely for the needs of the agriculture industry.  This program is poorly designed, and it fails to meet the needs of farmers in a timely fashion.  On orders from President Bush, the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security have proposed regulatory changes to this visa program, and these agencies are following established protocols before such changes are implemented.  While some of the needed changes may require a legislative remedy, it is unclear when the House will take action and what the measure will include.

    While I believe that the agriculture industry will continue to rely on foreign labor, I do not believe that an amnesty provision should be part of the labor shortage solution.