House Ag Chair Wants Congress To Address Farm Labor

Congress could soon be considering not just a new Farm Bill, but farm labor legislation as well.  The farm labor shortage is a decades’ old problem; one lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to address. 

House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson hopes a new effort stemming from recommendations by an Ag labor working group will change that.

“We have drafted a bill, Thompson said.  "I think we’ve finished with technical assistance from the Department of Labor, and our next step is putting it out for discussion draft.”

The legislation, Thompson noted, is expected to streamline the producer application process, boost access to labor year-round, and protect migrant labor health during extreme heat and other conditions.  The Pennsylvania Republican said the farm labor bill could be ready after his Farm Bill action next week.

“Couple of weeks, three-weeks, a month at the most," he said.  "And then, we’ll be introducing that bill. And I think it’s going to be a great bipartisan bill. I think it’s going to be one that, perhaps, breaks this whole farm worker gridlock.”

Gridlock, Thompson said, mired in incessant fights over illegal immigration, adding, "It’s not about citizenship. This is about reliable workforce. This is about food security.”

A major concern in dairy, produce, and other Ag sectors, as immigration enforcement increases and the farm economy declines.

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