Bipartisan Farm Workforce Bill Leads With Legalization Program
Farm Workforce Modernization Act offers legal status, tech upgrades, and wage stability for farmworkers and growers alike
WASHINGTON — As the nation’s grocery prices fluctuate and fields sit untended across, a quietly mounting emergency has forced lawmakers back to the negotiating table: the collapse of America’s agricultural labor supply.
This month, a bipartisan group in Congress reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a comprehensive immigration and labor bill that seeks to keep farms operating by offering a path to legal status for undocumented farmworkers and modernizing the H-2A guestworker visa program.
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The bill’s timing is critical—growers across the country have warned that without legislative relief, food prices will rise, rural economies will falter, and domestic agriculture could face irreversible damage.
“The workforce crisis has come to a boiling point for farmers across the country,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), one of the bill’s lead sponsors. “This legislation is necessary to lay the groundwork for continued negotiations, and I am committed to working closely with my colleagues to enact long-term, durable reforms to our agriculture guest worker programs.”
Legal Status for the Migrant Backbone of U.S. Agriculture
The Act’s first section creates a path for undocumented agricultural workers to earn Certified Agricultural Worker (CAW) status. Workers who’ve logged at least 180 days of U.S. agricultural labor over the last two years would qualify for renewable legal status, provided they continue working at least 100 days per year.
Those seeking permanent residency would face a tiered system based on work history—either four or eight more years of agricultural labor—and must pass background checks and pay a $1,000 fine. Spouses and minor children are also eligible.
“The men and women who work America’s farms feed the nation,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). “It is essential we provide stability to this critical workforce. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would do so, which will protect the future of our farms and our food supply.”
Modernizing the H-2A Guestworker System
The bill’s second title reforms the cumbersome H-2A visa system. Among its changes:
A streamlined electronic platform consolidates federal agency reviews.
A single petition can be filed for staggered labor needs.
Newspaper ads are replaced by online job postings.
Visa processing is simplified with three-year H-2A terms.
Wages are frozen for one year, with future increases capped at 3.25% annually for most regions.
Critically, the bill opens H-2A access to year-round industries like dairy, allocating 20,000 visas annually for three years, with adjustments possible depending on labor demand or emergency shortages.
“The current H-2A program doesn’t meet the labor needs of many producers,” said Rep. David Valadao (R-CA). “But the Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a positive step… Food security is national security.”
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Portability, Housing, and Worker Protections
The Act introduces a Portable Agricultural Worker (PAW) pilot program—allowing 10,000 H-2A workers to move freely between registered employers. Advocates say this will reduce bottlenecks and give workers more flexibility.
It also takes steps to address the chronic shortage of safe, affordable housing for migrant laborers. The bill sets aside $1 billion for rehabilitating aging housing stock and expands funding for USDA loan, grant, and rental assistance programs.
“Supporting American agriculture means providing a stable, reliable, and legal workforce,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID). “Now that we finally have an administration taking the border crisis seriously, Congress must address this issue and enact necessary reforms.”
To crack down on fraud and exploitation, the bill requires registration and oversight of foreign labor recruiters and extends key worker protections under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) to H-2A employees.
Mandatory E-Verify—After Reform, Not Before
The bill’s final title mandates the nationwide use of E-Verify for all agricultural employment—but only after legalization and H-2A reforms are implemented. It includes protections for lawful workers mistakenly flagged by the system.
This sequencing has helped secure rare bipartisan support for a verification mandate long opposed by farmworker advocates and employers alike.
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A Rare Bipartisan Coalition
The legislation has an unusually broad base of support, drawing co-sponsors from both parties and spanning the ideological spectrum from Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) to Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID).
“This legislation is a common-sense, bipartisan solution that provides stability for our farmers and dignity for the workers who feed America,” said Rep. Costa. “If President Trump is serious about fixing our broken immigration system, he should work with us to get this bill across the finish line.”
“Labor shortages on our farms could lead to higher food prices across the country,” warned Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA). “This commonsense bipartisan bill would stabilize our vital workforce and make sure Valley farmers can continue to feed families across the country.”
Despite having passed the House in two previous sessions, the bill’s future remains uncertain in the Senate. But with unified Republican control and a White House looking to demonstrate action on both immigration and inflation, momentum may be building.
Whether Washington acts in time to save the harvest remains to be seen. But on farms from Washington’s apple orchards to California’s lettuce fields, the message is clear: America’s food system needs workers—and the workers need legal protection.