News

No vote in July for Goodlatte’s AG Act, H2-C visas

The CEO of the American Dairy Coalition says efforts to create a year-round foreign worker visa program have been delayed.  Laurie Fischer tells Brownfield, “There will be a vote, however, we were hoping that it would happen sometime this week.  As of right now, it does not look like that’s going to happen.”

Fischer tells Brownfield the coalition has been working with National Milk Producers Federation and American Farm Bureau, and their polling shows more than 60 votes supporting Bob Goodlatte’s AG Act with the H2-C visa language.

Fischer met with House Speaker Paul Ryan Tuesday, who assured her a vote is coming.  She says the ag industry needs to keep reaching out to lawmakers asking them to co-sponsor the bill before they return to Washington D.C. in September.

Fischer says some California ag groups and lawmakers are concerned about the bill’s e-verify requirements.

There is some movement on improving the existing H2-A worker visa program.  The National Milk Producers Federation is applauding an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill by Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington that would allow the use of the H-2A visa program to hire foreign workers for longer than temporary or seasonal work, including dairy farm employees.