HOUSE AG CHAIRMAN’S GUEST WORKER PROGRAM REFORM VITAL TO AG ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Representative G.T. Thompson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has introduced draft legislation seeking to reform the H-2A visa program. These reforms are seen as a beginning step in the right direction that can help alleviate some stresses that farmers feel. Navigating the current system can often times be burdensome and stressful for both farmers and visa applicants, this bills creation of an online portal where participants in the application process can communicate directly with government agencies. A resource like this would provide farmers with a much more streamlined process and would significantly simplify visa applications. This legislation would also transfer regulatory control of several aspects of the program from the Department of Labor to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), giving farmers a much-needed voice over their own regulations. Hopefully this work can be seen as a step in the right direction by the legislature and be built upon as time goes on to modernize an institution vital to American agriculture.

Support for the bill comes from dozens of agricultural associations and commodity commissions including the National Potato Council and the Washington State Potato Commission, with the National Potato Council saying the following, “We are proud to support Chairman G.T. Thompson’s legislation that provides meaningful solutions to agriculture’s broad set of labor challenges. Farmers, ranchers and growers across the country continue to cite the agricultural labor crisis as one of the most pressing issues affecting their operations. Bipartisan labor reform in Congress is critically needed now, and we appreciate Chairman Thompson’s work with agricultural stakeholders, especially in light of the struggling farm economy.”

 In a time of economic uncertainty for potato farmers and the agricultural industry, this legislation is seen by stakeholders as providing simple, and positive bipartisan change which displays the legislatures commitment to ensuring the financial viability of American Agriculture. The Washington State Potato Commission will be contacting our congressional delegation to urge them to support this important legislation and encourage the growers and processors we represent to do the same. Through steps in the right direction like this bill, American Agriculture can once again return to an environment of regulatory stability, economic dominance, and trade security.