Political Quotes

“a recent GAO report concluded that approximately one-third of the U.S. agricultural labor force in the United States is illegal. Many estimate that the percentage is in fact much higher. For too long, Congress has failed to respond to the lack of legal agricultural workers, and simply left on the books, and largely unused, a guestworker program that is too administratively complex and expensive to be workable. With recent crackdowns by INS, our farmers and growers face a labor shortage crisis. Congress must act, and it must act now. I rise today, and join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing the Agricultural Job Opportunity Benefits and Security Act of 1998, a bill to address this problem. This legislation is long past due and urgently needed. As the Senator from Florida described earlier today, the bill is a win-win-win proposition. It is a win for farmers and growers because it provides them a method of obtaining a legal, reliable workforce. It is a win for workers both domestic and foreign. For domestic workers, the bill, through a work registry, gives them first preference on jobs, benefits above those they are currently receiving, and continued employment by ensuring that American farms remain economically viable and that production is not lost to other countries. For foreign workers, the bill provides the dignity, freedom from fear, and mobility that attends a legal status, as well as significant worker protection and benefits.”