Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have introduced legislation that would provide a permanent amnesty to certain illegal farm workers in the United States. Under the legislation, qualifying illegal-alien farm workers would receive a temporary work permit to continue farm work. They would be eligible for green cards after three years.
Under the Agricultural Worker Program Act, illegal-alien farm workers who have worked in agriculture for at least 100 days in the past two years can receive a work permit. Depending on the hours worked, the farm workers can earn a green card after three or five years.
The Senate version of the bill has 11 original cosponsors, including Senators Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The House version has 58 original cosponsors, including: Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), T.J. Cox (D-Calif.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Anna E. Eshoo (D-Calif.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Jimmy Gomez (D- Calif.), Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), Katie Hill (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Al Lawson (D-Fla.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Doris O. Matsui (D-Calif.), A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Janet Napolitano (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), David Price (D-N.C.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Norma Torres (D-Calif.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), and John Yarmuth (D- Ky.).
The full text of the bill can be found here.
