Yoho To Roll Out Ag Labor Reform Bill

Representative Ted Yoho, a Florida Republican, is working on an agricultural guest worker reform bill, he calls the Agricultural Guest worker Proposal.  He said his legislation differs from the Farm Workforce Modernization Act recently introduced by Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse and California’s Zoe Lofgren.

Yoho said his AGWP creates a reliable source of labor for producers nationwide, while also providing protections for the migrant community.  And he notes, unlike the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, his proposal is a guest worker program and does not get into immigration, meaning it is not a partisan piece of legislation.  The AGWP, according to Yoho, will streamlining the H-2A program, and moving the program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture.  He added the program will screen migrant workers before they enter the U.S.

“Once they get the agriculture guest worker permit, they can stay in this country for five years at a time, they can renew 4 ½ years into the program for another five years, they have to work 75% of the year in this country, they are free to go home and come back, or they can stay all year in this country.  They are dedicated to the Ag sector, but this is something unique we haven’t had before, and it fulfills the need producers have for year-round labor.”

Yoho said the hope is to roll out the legislation as lawmakers return from Thanksgiving break.

"We’ve got several Republicans that are going to cosponsor this, we have some Democrats that are going to sponsor it, so we’ll have to see when we roll it out.”

Click Here to learn more about Yoho’s Agricultural Guest Worker Proposal.

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