SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS January 11, 2007 Guest worker bill reintroduced
WASHINGTON – A bill that aims to provide guest workers for agriculture industries on the East and West coasts was reintroduced Wednesday by a bipartisan group of lawmakers whose states face labor shortages. The Agricultural Jobs Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act was filed in the Senate by Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and in the House by Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Chris Cannon, R-Utah. "Many American farmers are on the precipice,'' Feinstein said. "And whether they survive to plant another season is determined largely on one simple question: will there be enough workers to bring in the harvest?'' Feinstein said the labor shortage could cost California $3 billion in year in agriculture losses. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said last year one-third of Florida's orange crop went unpicked due to labor shortages. He said the bill would help address that shortage. A similar measure stalled in the 109th Congress when Republican leaders refused to allow a House vote on the measure. The bill passed in the Senate last May. Hispanic rights groups praised lawmakers and Democratic leaders for reconsidering the bill, which would allow farm workers from Mexico and other countries to receive legal status and eventually citizenship. Agricultural interests would also receive a stable labor supply. Janet Murguia, National Council of La Raza president, said the legislation would "benefit everyone.'' John Tasvina with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said the ag jobs bill is the first step toward a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The legislation is largely driven by California and East Coast growers who rely heavily on farm workers in the H-2A temporary worker program. Those regions have seen a spike in hourly wages because of labor shortages.
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