Conaway Supports House Guestworker Bill

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway offered his approval to a bill that would bring reforms to agriculture labor. Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approves the Ag Act, which supporters say would replace the flawed H-2A guestworker program. Conaway says the bill would help provide farmers with access to a legal, steady supply of workers. Saying, it’s time for a program that “respects our nation’s immigration laws and keeps American agriculture competitive,” Conaway says the bill “cuts red tape and institutes a flexible program that accounts for the different labor needs of various producers.” The bill was first introduced earlier this month by Virginia Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte [GOOD-lat] . At that time, more than 60 dairy groups penned a joint letter calling the bill a "significant, positive step forward." However, United Farm Workers and the AFL-CIO told Congress the bill would "create even more unfairness and dysfunction" in the immigration system.