Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1603, the Farmworker Modernization Act of 2021:
“There has been a labor crisis in American agriculture for a long time. With fewer and fewer Americans choosing to work in agriculture, farmers became dependent on foreign workers to keep their farms running. Without these foreign workers, who are often undocumented, many U.S. farms would be unable to effectively maintain production. This would be severely damaging to American agriculture and our food supply.
“To assure continuity in our farm workforce, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act provides a pathway to legal status through continued agricultural employment which will help our farmers meet their labor needs into the future. Applicants are required to undergo background checks and pass strict criminal and national security bars. It also reforms the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program to provide more flexibility for employers and vital protections for workers.
“U.S. agriculture is the best in the world, but without a stable workforce, it cannot stay that way. Updating our laws will ensure we never become dependent on foreign countries for our food supply and can continue working towards eliminating food insecurity.”
More information on H.R. 1603 can be found here.
Original source can be found here.
