The Lame Duck Period Could Make or Break H2A Reform

The Lame Duck Period Could Make or Break H2A Reform

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Like I mentioned in my other shows this week, I want to point out I have a very resilient flu right now so that is why I sound a little gruff and stuffy today. However, one thing I’m sure all of you can appreciate, rain or shine, the show goes on.

So last time we talked about how the election results can impact The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bill that is sitting between the House and the Senate.

I spoke with experts at the 2022 National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting in Kansas City. Mykel Bickham, Director of Government Affairs at Edge Dairy Cooperative says the period between elections in November and the new congress in January, known as the Lame Duck period, is a really important time for issues like H2A reform.

With the House flipping to republicans, an immigration bill is less likely to pass if it rolls into the new congress.

"There are a lot of priorities right now in the Lame Duck session, there always is in a Lame Duck Session, because it’s that sweet spot when there are folks leaving congress that can take some votes they wouldn’t necessarily be able to take because they are a little bit more politically risky.”

Although Bickham says immigration and food supply issues should be a top priority for congress, she encourages all of you to talk to your legislators about what H2A reform could do for your production and your community.

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