Ag groups have been calling for labor reform for quite a while. Farmers have been looking for a way to get reliable labor when they need it. The U.S. House passed a bill with bipartisan support. However, the prospects of the legislation going anywhere in the Senate are bleak.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act won bipartisan support in the House, but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says it won?t have the support it needs to get through the Senate. Grassley chairs the Senate Finance Committee and says the Senate will likely take up their own debate on the issue.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has been one of the groups calling for modernization of the labor programs for guest workers but has not supported the current House legislation as it did not include any provisions they were backing. AFBF Executive Director Dale Moore says the legislation needs to happen now, because there may not be a better opportunity for some time.
Moore says the legislation needs are simple and straight-forward.
AFBF opposes the inclusion of the ?E-Verify? electronic worker verification system in the bill before it?s workable and able to provide access to a stable, legal, readily available workforce on the nation?s farms and ranches.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have been accused of stalling or outright ignoring many bills that have left the House. This may just be the next in line.
