The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act this week.
The California Farm Bureau along with many other farm organizations support the bill.
Earlier this month California Farm Bureau posted on its website a statement that says the bill would provide mutual benefit for farmers, ranchers and their employees.
California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said the organization is committed to work for passage of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, reintroduced by Representative Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, and Dan Newhouse, R-Washington member of congress..
The announcement goes on to say that the original bill won passage from the House of Representatives in late 2019, based in part on the support of more than 300 agricultural groups and companies.
“The Farm Workforce Modernization Act earned bipartisan support at that time by addressing both current and future needs for agricultural employers and employees,” according to Johansson.
“Its reintroduction will stimulate ongoing discussions about immigration policy. Its passage would improve agricultural visa programs and accommodate immigrant agricultural employees already in the United States, while enhancing border security.”
Johansson believes the bill’s reintroduction comes at a particularly important time, as farmers and their employees maintain agricultural production during the COVID-19 pandemic.
