Guest Worker Bill Introduced in the House

July 25, 2018

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Representatives Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Michael Conaway (R-Texas), and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) introduced the bipartisan AG and Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 6417). The bill replaces the H-2A agricultural guest-worker program to ensure farmers and ranchers have dependable access to workers.

“Importantly, the AG and Legal Workforce Act also creates a new, workable agricultural guest-worker program to ensure labor demands are met and crops get to market on time. The bill incorporates many of the comments and concerns I have heard from the agriculture community over the past several years. When not enough Americans can be found to fill jobs, the bill ensures that American farmers have access to a reliable workforce to fill positions needed to keep their farms afloat. The agricultural community has waited far too long for a workable guest-worker program and its past time to enact a solution,” said Chairman Goodlatte.

Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held a briefing on the bill where UEP’s D.C. representative, Louie Perry, was asked to participate as a panel member. Perry discussed the importance of a working agricultural program for U.S. egg producers and expressed support for changes made in this bill. The bill did not come up for a vote before the August recess but a vote in the House is expected before year’s end.