Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB4319

Introduced
6/23/23  

Caption

Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2023 Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2023

Impact

The bill proposes to alleviate the existing labor shortages in the agricultural industry by easing the regulations for temporary agricultural workers and offering a path to permanent residency. It aims to facilitate the flow of workers into the agricultural sector while ensuring employer accountability. One notable provision includes the development of an electronic employment verification system to streamline the hiring process. However, the bill also imposes certain restrictions, such as eligibility for federal benefits and limitations for those granted certified status to ensure they remain focused within the agricultural field.

Summary

House Bill 4319, known as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2023, aims to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a pathway for foreign agricultural workers seeking to work in the United States. The bill introduces certified agricultural worker status and offers provisions for temporary and permanent residency for these workers. This is particularly significant for an agricultural sector that often relies heavily on migrant labor. By extending legal residence to active agricultural laborers, the bill seeks to secure and stabilize the agricultural workforce amidst ongoing labor shortages.

Contention

The legislation has sparked debate centered around the intricacies of tampering with immigration laws to suit agricultural demands. Proponents argue that HB 4319 is critical for the longevity of U.S. agriculture and addresses essential labor shortages. Conversely, opponents raise concerns about potential exploitation of vulnerable workers and the adequacy of protections for these laborers under this new regulatory framework. Furthermore, there are discussions regarding the bill's provision for the revocation of status if certain conditions are not met, which may lead to insecurity among the workers it aims to stabilize.

Companion Bills

US SB1490

Related Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2023

US SB4069

Related Affordable and Secure Food Act of 2024 Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2024

Similar Bills

US HB319

Legal Workforce Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after and to replace the E-Verify system, which allows employers and recruiters to verify the immigration status of individuals. The bill also mandates the use of such a system, where currently only some employers, such as those with federal contracts, are required to use E-Verify. The bill specifies documents that can establish an individual's identity and employment authorization. During the period starting when a job offer is made until three business days after hiring, the individual must attest to his or her employment authorization, and the employer or recruiter must attest that it has examined the individual's required documents. Employers shall reverify certain types of employees who were not previously verified using E-verify. The Social Security Administration shall notify employees if their Social Security number has been used multiple times in an unusual manner. DHS shall establish programs for blocking and suspending misused numbers. Employers that are required to use the verification system shall not be liable for any employment-related action based on a good-faith reliance on the information from the system. The bill establishes a phased-in participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill increases civil penalties related to hiring individuals without work authorization. It also preempts state laws relating to hiring and employment eligibility verification, but states may use their authority of business licensing to penalize employers for failing to comply with the bill's provisions.

US HB2640

Border Security and Enforcement Act of 2023 Legal Workforce Act Immigration Parole Reform Act of 2023 Visa Overstays Penalties Act Protection of Children Act of 2023 Ensuring United Families at the Border Act Border Safety and Migrant Protection Act of 2023 Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2023

US SB2785

Higher Wages for American Workers Act of 2023

US HB3599

DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2023 Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2023 American Promise Act Transnational Criminal Organization Prevention and Elimination Act Protecting Sensitive Locations Act Dream Act Legal Workforce Act American Prosperity and Competitiveness Act H–2B Returning Worker Exception Act American Dream and Promise Act Border Security for America Act

US HB2

Secure the Border Act of 2023 This bill addresses issues regarding immigration and border security, including by imposing limits to asylum eligibility. For example, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border; provides statutory authorization for Operation Stonegarden, which provides grants to law enforcement agencies for certain border security operations; prohibits DHS from processing the entry of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) arriving between ports of entry; limits asylum eligibility to non-U.S. nationals who arrive in the United States at a port of entry; authorizes the removal of a non-U.S. national to a country other than that individual's country of nationality or last lawful habitual residence, whereas currently this type of removal may only be to a country that has an agreement with the United States for such removal; expands the types of crimes that may make an individual ineligible for asylum, such as a conviction for driving while intoxicated causing another person's serious bodily injury or death; authorizes DHS to suspend the introduction of certain non-U.S. nationals at an international border if DHS determines that the suspension is necessary to achieve operational control of that border; prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors; authorizes immigration officers to permit an unaccompanied alien child to withdraw their application for admission into the United States even if the child is unable to make an independent decision to withdraw the application; imposes additional penalties for overstaying a visa; and requires DHS to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system and requires all employers to use the system.

US SB2824

Secure the Border Act of 2023

US SB156

Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act

US HB3194

U.S. Citizenship Act Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act