ISSUE 1107 FFVA
JOINS FIGHT FOR GUEST WORKER LEGISLATION FFVA’s
Walter Kates, director, Labor Relations Division, joined several hundered other
agriculture representatives gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday (March
15) to urge lawmakers to adopt reasonable immigration reform. The
group told lawmakers that although they understood the need for border security,
any legislation that did not contain a guestworker program would be a blow for
the agriculture industry as well as the economy as a whole. “Without
these workers, you wouldn't have an industry," Kates told reporters. "I
don't think people realize that Americans won't take these jobs." The
House of Representatives passed legislation in December 2005 that calls for increased
penalties on employers, requires electronic ID verification and has no provisions
for guest workers. If not modified by the Senate, the bill would also make anyone
assisting an undocumented individual a criminal. Late
Thursday, (March 16), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) announced his
intention to introduce his own bill, also without a guest worker provision, if
the Senate Judiciary Committee could not come up with its own bill by March 27. ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S RAP-UP (Members-Only articles are indicated in bold.) | |
