Zoe Lofgren: “I want to make a few additional comments on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act since the gentlewoman from Florida had…”

“I want to make a few additional comments on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act since the gentlewoman from Florida had a little bit of time to provide. There have been some who have criticized, I think incorrectly, the bill, that it does not actually stabilize wages in the H-2A program. That is incorrect. The bargain that was made by the United Farm Workers union and the various employer groups was to: first, freeze wages for 1 year; second, to limit how fast wages could rise to 3.25 percent or how low to 1.5 percent; and also, to preclude changes in the middle of a contract, so there would be stability. I just wanted to get that issue on the table. People who misunderstand it will be relieved to know that that is not correct. I want to address another issue, which has to do with the legalization provision. We have several million farmworkers in the United States today. Half of them don't have their proper papers. They are living in a state of fear. I was out in the Central Valley recently. These are hardworking people who have been here for decades in some cases. There is no line for them to get into to get legal. They are so afraid that they are afraid to go to mass. This bill allows them to apply for a temporary visa, an agricultural worker visa that is renewable. It allows them to go back and forth if they need to go to a funeral in their country of birth. It allows them to work legally.…”