[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR UNDOCUMENTED FARMWORKERS

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I represent the central coast of 
California, known to many of my colleagues as the salad bowl of the 
world. It is where agriculture is the number one industry, and it is 
where the farm labor movement was partially founded.
  Now, as many Republicans and Democrats know, in agriculture, 
undocumented farmworkers do a majority of the labor-intensive work 
needed to put food on our dinner tables. That is why I am a cosponsor 
of H.R. 2690, the Agricultural Worker Program Act, also known as the 
``Blue Card'' bill.
  This bill would provide a majority of our farmworkers with a path to 
legal permanent residence. Now, it doesn't allow people to jump the 
line. It doesn't just give them benefits. In fact, there are certain 
obligations that they must undertake in order to receive those 
benefits. They have to work in agriculture for at least 100 days, and 
then they have to commit to working in agriculture for 100 days over 
the next 5 years.
  Our farmworkers, whom we employ and critically need, are now living 
in the shadows for fear of deportation. This bill would provide legal 
protections for our farmworkers to ensure a better future for their 
families, our farms, and our communities.
  While it is my hope that this bill would again be incorporated into a 
larger comprehensive package negotiated by Republicans and Democrats, 
just like it was in 2013 when Congress nearly passed comprehensive 
immigration reform, the people who help feed our families deserve this 
opportunity, and that is why I support it.

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