Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, Jim Costa, D-Calif., David Valadao, R-Calif., and Adam Gray, D-Calif., have reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, H.R. 3227.

The bill updates the H-2A program under which employers bring in foreign workers for temporary periods. It passed the House in 2019 but did not pass the Senate. 

In a news release, the Ag Workforce Coalition, an industry group, praised the leadership on the issue and added, “But let’s be clear: reviving a bill negotiated in 2019 falls short of what today’s farm labor crisis demands. Farmers need a solution that reflects current realities and keeps their operations viable.”

“The agricultural industry looks quite different today than it did six years ago,” the coalition added.

“Between natural disasters, falling commodity prices, soaring input and labor costs, and additional regulatory burdens, many producers today have gone out of business. As such, we believe that a straightforward reintroduction of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act as written does not fundamentally make the reforms needed to keep our agricultural producers in business.

“Much like farm bills are updated every five years in recognition of the changing conditions faced by ag producers, so too should an ag labor bill that was first drafted six years ago.

“America’s farmers are in the grips of a worsening labor crisis that threatens our domestic food supply. Despite fast-rising wages and increased reliance on the H-2A guest worker program, growers across the country are struggling to find enough workers to plant, tend, and harvest their crops and care for their animals,” the coaltion said.

“The problem is multifaceted: an aging domestic workforce, scant interest from U.S.-born workers, and a guest worker program that remains too costly, seasonal, and bureaucratic for many operations.”