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AgJOBS
in the 109th Congress
Early in the morning on December 9, 2006, the 109th
Congress adjourned without passing the AgJOBS farmworker immigration
legislation. Although AgJOBS was not enacted this Congress, it did
enjoy several successes. In April 2005, a majority of the Senate
voted in support of AgJOBS when it had an opportunity to consider
AgJOBS as an amendment to a supplemental appropriations bill for the
Iraq war, SA 375 to HR 1268. In May 2006, AgJOBS was included in
the comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate, S.
2611 (the House leadership refused to consider the bill seriously).
In contrast to the successes of AgJOBS, Senator Chambliss’s attempts
to pass one-sided reform of the H-2A agricultural guestworker
program without giving farmworkers a chance to earn permanent
immigration status failed repeatedly. For more information about
these debates, please click on the 109th Congressional
Debate button on the left.
There were also some efforts to pass AgJOBS during the lame duck
session. Although these efforts were unsuccessful, they
demonstrated the commitment of Senators Feinstein and Craig to pass
AgJOBS. Hopefully their efforts will build momentum for passage of
AgJOBS early in the next Congress.
For
more information about AgJOBS, alternatives to AgJOBS, or
Farmworkers and Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the 109th
Congress, please click on the buttons on the left.
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