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Problem Solvers Caucus Endorses Landmark Bipartisan Agricultural Workers Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Problem Solvers Caucus announced its endorsement of H.R. 4916, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019, to provide earned visa status for Certified Agricultural Workers (CAWs) and provide ranchers and farmers a legal, reliable workforce. This bill specifically expands the H-2A foreign guest-worker program, so farmers can easily hire workers.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) released the following statement after the House Committee on Education and Labor passed H.R. 4674, the College Affordability Act.
"I applaud the committee's passage of the College Affordability Act. I am proud that the legislation includes portions of my bill to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program," said Congressman Panetta.
A compromise between House Democrats and Republicans appears to have yielded a new bill that would create a pathway to legal status for undocumented farm workers.
Following months of negotiations, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D–San Jose) and Jimmy Panetta (D–Carmel Valley) negotiated with Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R–Richvale) and Dan Newhouse (R–Wash.) along with farm groups before presenting the bill.
On Wednesday, Representative Dan Newhouse joined a bipartisan group of House members to introduce the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Newhouse said the legislation is a compromised solution for the needs of American Farmers, adding the legislation will attempt to meet in the middle when it comes to the needs of agriculture and labor groups which have long disagreed on how best to fix the farm labor problem. The legislation would provide a way to legal status for undocumented farm workers who've been working at least two years on their jobs and are planning to continue.
House members sponsoring the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a farm worker immigration bill, introduced it in the company of Arturo Rodriguez, president emeritus of the United Farm Workers and a range of farm owners and their lobbyists.
A bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives Wednesday could give legal status and a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants working in agriculture.
The legislation, the product of months of discussions, represents a rare moment of bipartisan agreement on one of the most contentious topics of the Trump administration, ultimately attracting 20 Republican cosponsors, according to a spokesperson for Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who helped lead the negotiations.
Courtesy of Congressman Jimmy Panetta's Office:
U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Collin Peterson (D-MN-07), Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) introduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, H.R. 4916, to provide a compromise solution for American agriculture. The bill was introduced with the strong bipartisan support of 24 Democratic and 21 Republican Members of Congress.
A new bipartisan bill introduced in Congress Wednesday would give undocumented farmworkers a pathway to permanent residence without first needing to leave the country.
If approved, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA) would also change regulations surrounding H-2A temporary farmworkers, shifting how salaries are determined and adding new, temporary visas with a longer working period.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) released the following statement after voting in support of the next step in the impeachment inquiry. The resolution establishes the format for open hearings that will be conducted by the House Intelligence Committee as part of the House's ongoing impeachment inquiry, as well as procedures to transmit any evidence or report to the Judiciary Committee.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04), Collin Peterson (D-MN-07), Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25) introduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, H.R. 4916, to provide a compromise solution for American agriculture. The bill was introduced with the strong bipartisan support of 24 Democratic and 21 Republican Members of Congress.