Now that a significant agricultural immigration bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 18, Western farm groups are urging the Senate to quickly take up the legislation and send it to President Joe Biden's desk.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 by Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., passed, 247-174.  It would update agricultural visa programs and accommodate immigrant agricultural employees already in the country.

The lower chamber also narrowly passed the American Dream and Promise Act, which offers a pathway to citizenship for so-called "Dreamer" immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Callif., who chairs a subcommittee on livestock and foreign agriculture, supported both bills.

“Providing a path to legal status to farmworkers for the betterment of our country is long overdue," Costa said in a statement after the votes. "American agriculture needs a reliable legal workforce and farm workers deserve to be treated as the essential workers they are. Farmers and farmworkers provide a vital and essential partnership that puts food on America’s dinner tables every night. Therefore, the food we eat is a national security issue. This legislation, if passed, would ensure the reliability of America’s food supply remains secured."

California Farm Bureau Federation president Jamie Johansson said he will work with California's Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla to seek refinements to the bill’s guestworker provisions before a Senate vote.

“We know Sens. Feinstein and Padilla appreciate the importance of easing chronic employee shortages on California farms, and of providing more stability and dignity to the men and women who work in agriculture,” he said. “Farmers and farm employees are eager to see the Senate move quickly in addressing immigration reform for agriculture.”

Bill recognizes essential work

Senate action would further recognize the essential work farm employees have performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Johansson said.

“The men and women who work on farms and ranches have shown dedication to their jobs and to their communities during an extremely trying time,” he said. “Everyone in the country has benefited from that dedication. Farmers and farm employees need a legislative solution that will help assure farms and ranches retain the flexibility to respond to changing demands for safe, healthy food and farm products.”

Western Growers chief executive officer Dave Puglia issued the following statement late Thursday, March 18:

“Today’s vote reconfirms the reality that well-crafted and durable legislation requires the input of thoughtful and pragmatic lawmakers from both parties. We thank the House members who led this effort and all who voted in favor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Next, we urge Senators of both parties to begin their consideration of this legislation in a similar construct, guided by a desire to produce legislation negotiated with both agriculture and labor advocates and supported by Senators of both parties.

“The need for a solution to agriculture’s labor crisis has been widely accepted across party lines. Furthermore, the remedy, which addresses both the existing workforce and the future flow of workers, has been negotiated in painstaking detail and agreed to by advocates representing farmers and farmworkers alike. The Senate never took up this legislation after it passed the House in 2019 and the problem has predictably worsened. Americans want to see Congress work on real problems and real solutions and spend less time in ideological conflict. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act affords the Senate a powerful opportunity to meet that expectation.”

The bill is supported by United Farm Workers leaders and by numerous other West Coast farm groups, including the Washington Apple Commission, the Northwest Horticulture Council, the Washington State Potato Commission, Hop Growers of America, and the Washington Winegrowers Association.