Robert Smith: “I rise with Senators Graham, Craig, Cleland, McConnell, Coverdell, Mack, Cochran, Helms, Grams, Crapo, Bunning, and…”

“I rise with Senators Graham, Craig, Cleland, McConnell, Coverdell, Mack, Cochran, Helms, Grams, Crapo, Bunning, and Voinovich to encourage support of S. 1814, the Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act of 1999. Our bill will reform the agricultural labor market, establish and maintain immigration control, provide a legal workforce for our farmers, and restore the dignity to the lives of thousands of farmworkers who have helped make the U.S. economy the powerhouse that it is today. I am sure you are aware of the problems that have arisen within American agriculture. For many years, employers in the agricultural industry have struggled to hire enough legal workers to harvest their produce and plants. As one of the most rapidly growing industries in this country, we can only expect the demand for agricultural labor jobs to continue to rise. When coupled with the lowest unemployment rates in decades, a crackdown on illegal immigration, and increased Social Security audits, the agriculture industry--and ultimately its consumers--face a crisis of devastating proportions.”