Immigration Reform Bill

Immigration Reform Bill

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

On April 17th the “gang of eight” introduced an 844 page bill on immigration reform. Under the proposal undocumented immigrants arriving in the United States prior to December 31, 2011 and staying in the country continuously could apply for "provisional" legal status as soon as six months after the bill is signed by the president. Agriculture Workforce Coalition Leaders held a press conference Wednesday expressing their support for the proposal and highlighting the crucial stake American agriculture has in any immigration reform package. Jerry Kozak, President & CEO, National Milk Producers Federation.

KOZAK: Fixing the broke immigration system has been one of National Milk’s highest priorities dating back nearly a decade. Throughout the process we’ve been mindful of several key items that eventually we had to deal with. These include establishing a new blue card for experienced agricultural workers, this provides a means for farmers to keep their existing workforce, including those who may not be legally documented.

Kozak says creating a new visa system for future workers that is easy to use and affordable is paramount.

KOZAK: There’s no sense going through all of these efforts if the resulting product is too cumbersome, costly and confusing to the dairy farmers who we represent and use it. That’s why attempting to retro fit the seasonal H-2A program onto the dairy industry really wasn’t a long term solution.

Assuring the future flow of new workers is pivotal to the dairy farming community.

KOZAK: So as the economy and jobs shift and evolve we still have a means to recruit and hire new dairy workers for a long period of time. Dairy producers need relief from having to demonstrate the seasonal or temporary nature of employment.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.