Ag Act to be introduced this week in House committee

U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says he’ll introduce the Agricultural Guestworker Act — also known as H-2C — tomorrow in the Judiciary Committee, which he chairs.

Goodlatte tweeted Oct. 2 “#AgAct replaces flawed H-2A program with a new, flexible, & market-driven guestworker program to meet needs of diverse agriculture industry.”

Robert Guenther, senior vice president, public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, said he’s optimistic the bill will get out of the judiciary committee Wednesday, but its success will be determined by the Republican House leadership.

In an official statement, United Fresh said, “We support Chairman Goodlatte’s introduction of the Ag Act, as he recognizes the crisis in agricultural labor and the need for a more effective guest worker program. We encourage members of the Judiciary Committee to move legislation out of committee so we can begin to make progress on addressing this critical issue. We intend to work with Chairman Goodlatte and other Congressional leaders to eventually pass legislation in the House, introduce and pass legislation in the Senate, and finally find a permanent solution in conference that the president will sign.”

Goodlatte is the former chairman of the agriculture committee in the House.

Included in the bill is greater access to guest workers, no pathway to citizenship, a touchback provision for workers, a heightened wage scale that would be 15% above a state’s minimum wage, no requirement for worker housing and transportation and allow currently illegal farmworkers to participate in the program.

“The need (for farmworkers) is greater than ever,” he said at United Fresh’s annual policy conference in mid-September.