Immigration Reform Under Consideration At Senate Hearing
News Date March 05, 2007
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing last week to discuss comprehensive immigration reform. One of Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy's (D-Vt.) goals was to seek a commitment from Secretaries Carlos Gutierrez, Department of Commerce, and Michael Chertoff, Department of Homeland Security, for administration support on the upcoming Senate comprehensive immigration reform legislation being drafted by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). Kennedy mentioned that they will need the administration's support to advance any measure and that legislation could be introduced as early as this week.
The comprehensive immigration reform legislation is expected to be comparable to the comprehensive immigration reform measure that passed the Senate last year with an added provision that would create a guest worker program. Leahy stated that "without the administration's earnest engagement on this issue, our efforts are likely to suffer the same fate they did last year."
In his opening remarks, Leahy briefly commented on dairy farming in Vermont. The senator mentioned how it was a way of life and how the United States' agricultural economy depends on the millions of dollars that dairy farmers bring into Vermont annually. He also discussed how Vermont dairies are depending on an estimated 2,000 foreign workers and stated that the needs to do better with immigrant labor. In addition to Leahy's remarks, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) mentioned she would prefer to tackle the comprehensive issue in smaller parts. She proposed beginning with a bill addressing agricultural workers, an industry that depends on immigration, and then addressing other sectors such as education.
In other news related to immigration reform, Craig J. Regelbrugge, senior director of government relations for the American Nursery and Landscape Association, provided an industry perspective on agriculture and immigration reform to the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum held last week. One of Regelbrugge's main focus areas was the "Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act," or commonly known as AgJOBS. First introduced in 2003, AgJOBS has been reintroduced in the 110th Congress as S. 340 and H.R. 371. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho) introduced S. 340 on January 18 and the bill has 24 cosponsors. H.R. 371 was introduced on January 10 by Reps. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and the bill as 21 cosponsors.
AgJOBS is a two-part proposal with a "long term solution" and a "transition strategy." The long-term component is H-2A reform. The transition strategy is an "earned adjustment" program. It would provide experienced farm workers, who are unauthorized to earn legal status over a period of years subject to strict conditions, expanded legalization opportunities provided they make a commitment to continue in the agriculture industry for a period of three to five years. AgJOBS is supported by numerous producer associations who are actively engaged in labor-intensive agriculture.
Regelbrugge commented on labor and the USDA's role. He pointed out that the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) had announced earlier this year the termination of its Farm Labor Survey Program as a result of budget restraints. This survey is considered the sole source of federal statistics on farm employment and wages. "This program is in great need in such a critical time in the agriculture industry," he added.
For details on the entire Agriculture Outlook Forum, you may visit http://www.usda.gov/oce/forum/index.htm. (Contacts: Blake Patton and Jennifer Yezak)