Source:  POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 12/12/19

The House on Wednesday passed 260-165 a bipartisan measure aimed at addressing the chronic labor shortage that has hampered agriculture for years. It's a big step for the industry, but the prospects for a parallel effort in the Senate are less clear. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has pledged to be the lead Democrat on the legislation, but she's still waiting for a GOP counterpart; lobbyists have their eyes on Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), reports Pro Ag's Liz Crampton.

The legislation would help producers hire more labor by offering undocumented farmworkers a path to legal status and easing the hiring process under the H-2A visa program for foreign ag laborers. It would also establish a mandatory E-Verify system nationwide for farm employers and place caps on worker wages, while offering flexibility for dairy producers and other farmers who need year-round labor.

Speaking on the House floor before the vote, lead sponsor Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said that swaths of the agriculture industry came together during negotiations, noting that the United Farm Workers met with "farmers from across the U.S." to reach an agreement. The bill has broad support from major ag groups, with one notable exception: the influential American Farm Bureau Federation.

"Our farmers and ranchers desperately need relief," said Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse , the primary GOP sponsor on the legislation. "This bill is the first step." But other Republicans griped about the bill's formula for calculating farm wages and complained that the year-round visa pilot program doesn't include the meat and poultry sectors. They also objected to providing "amnesty" to undocumented immigrants working on U.S. farms.