Food Industry Sets Tuesday Vote To Import 1 Million Visa
Bob Goodlatte
This is the second attempt to pass the H-2C visa-workers bill out of the House Judiciary Committee  which is chaired by  Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte .  His  Virginia district includes several turkey and chicken processing plants which employ many low-wage migrants and refugees. The prior vote was canceled October 3  when the farm-industry lobbyists could not win enough votes from reluctant Republican and Democratic legislators.
The committee tried to weaken opposition by announcing the surprise vote on Monday  one day before the planned Tuesday-morning session.  Goodlatte  has also scheduled time for a vote on Wednesday  giving more time for the industry lobbyists to strong-arm legislators.
If  Goodlatte âs bill allowed farm workers to get citizenship  most would quickly migrate into towns to compete for better jobs. That migration would force down wages paid to urban Americans  and would also leave the farms free to replace the departed workers with another wave of temporary or illegal workers.
To win the support of pro-American reformers and voters   Goodlatte âs bill is being packaged with a popular bill that would require companies to verify that new hires can legally work in the United States. That is a top priority for immigration reforms groups because it would reduce the iring of illegal immigrants and force up wages for Americans. The âE-verifyâ bill was developed by Texas Rep. Lamar Smith  and it titled the Legal Workforce Act.
âThe U.S. pork industry is suffering from a serious labor shortage â said NPPC President Ken Maschhoff  a pork producer from Carlyle  Ill. âWe commend  Congressman Goodlatte  for sponsoring this important legislation  which allows undocumented workers already in the United States to continue working in vital agriculture jobs.â âThe U.S. pork industry needs a viable agriculture workforce to remain globally competitive â Maschhoff said. âThe current visa programs are not working for pork producers or for the broader agriculture community. The Goodlatte bill will rectify this.â
This is the second attempt to pass the H-2C visa-workers bill out of the House Judiciary Committee  which is chaired by   [TGT]  [TGT]   Virginia district includes several turkey and chicken processing plants which employ many low-wage migrants and refugees. The prior vote was canceled October 3  when the farm-industry lobbyists could not win enough votes from reluctant Republican and Democratic legislators.
The committee tried to weaken opposition by announcing the surprise vote on Monday  one day before the planned Tuesday-morning session.   [TGT] has also scheduled time for a vote on Wednesday  giving more time for the industry lobbyists to strong-arm legislators.
If   [TGT]  allowed farm workers to get citizenship  most would quickly migrate into towns to compete for better jobs. That migration would force down wages paid to urban Americans  and would also leave the farms free to replace the departed workers with another wave of temporary or illegal workers.
To win the support of pro-American reformers and voters    [TGT]  âs bill is being packaged with a popular bill that would require companies to verify that new hires can legally work in the United States. That is a top priority for immigration reforms groups because it would reduce the iring of illegal immigrants and force up wages for Americans. The âE-verifyâ bill was developed by Texas Rep. Lamar Smith  and it titled the Legal Workforce Act.
âThe U.S. pork industry is suffering from a serious labor shortage â said NPPC President Ken Maschhoff  a pork producer from Carlyle  Ill. âWe commend  Congressman Goodlatte  for sponsoring this important legislation  which allows undocumented workers already in the United States to continue working in vital agriculture jobs.â âThe U.S. pork industry needs a viable agriculture workforce to remain globally competitive â Maschhoff said. âThe current visa programs are not working for pork producers or for the broader agriculture community. The Goodlatte bill will rectify this.â