Fate of The Farm Workforce Modernization Act During the Lame Duck Period
Let’s dive into how the election results can impact current bills that are sitting between the House and the Senate… for example, a very important one to all of agriculture, The Farm Workforce Modernization Act.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 summarizes what the Farm Workforce Modernization Act would do for the industry, if passed.
“What the bill does is two really important things; it allows for year-round H2A workers, and it allows the existing workforce a path to legal status.”
Although this bipartisan bill already passed the House, if the Senate doesn’t pass it before the new congress in January, the bill will have to be re-introduced.
"With the house flipping to republicans, obviously it’s going to be a little harder to get any immigration bill through, so seeing that there might be anything stalled on immigration for the next two years makes it even more important to get something passed yet here in the Lame Duck."