Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/21/19

The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night cleared an agricultural labor package after many hours of debate. A recorded vote will take place this morning — but based on the divided tone of the markup, expect the tally to fall along party lines, writes Pro Ag's Liz Crampton.

The legislation tackles the agricultural labor shortage from several directions by expanding the H-2A foreign guestworker program and providing a path to legalization for farm workers. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee, who spearheaded the legislation, emphasized during the markup that the bill was produced from long and intense negotiations with Republicans and Democrats at the table. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) is the lead GOP co-sponsor, and 20 other Republicans have signed on.

Top Republicans on the committee, however, opposed the bill because they argue that it provides "amnesty" to undocumented immigrants working on farms. 

Judiciary ranking member Doug Collins (R-Ga.) agreed there needs to be a solution to the agricultural labor shortage, but he railed against the bill's contents.

"We're dealing more with status than the worker situation," said Collins, who noted repeatedly that the American Farm Bureau Federation does not support the legislation. (More than 300 other agricultural groups back the bill, however.)