Newhouse Confident Workforce Modernization Act Has Momentum In Senate

Many in the Ag community are hopeful lawmakers will address the labor shortage facing farm country.  In response, the House last month passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which supporters will benefit not only growers and farmers, but workers as well.  Between Christmas break and talk of impeachment, the legislation has taken a back seat in Washington D.C.

But, according to Dan Newhouse, that does not mean the Act is dead in the water.

The Central Washington Republican said over the past couple of months, his camp has been working with members of the Senate to gain support for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act.

“There’s a lot of desire, I can say, on the part of several senators, that recognize that this is a huge issue for the Ag industry, critical for many of the agricultural states, and so I think there is a lot of momentum that we have moving forward.”

Newhouse added last month’s bipartisan vote in the House makes the Act, or a similar legislation more attractive.  Newhouse continued while the timeline of the impeachment trail remains up in the air, once the trial is over, lawmakers will return to doing the people’s business, and the issue of Ag labor will be positioned to be addressed.

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