Final Vote Today on S.744 & Update on Chambliss’ Amendments

Today at 4pm ET, the Senate will conclude debate and cast the final vote on its comprehensive immigration reform bill, S. 744. There will be a series of procedural votes beforehand. Majority Leader Reid requested that Senators cast their votes from their desk, an unusual requirement marking the importance of this vote

Update on Sen. Chambliss’s Amendments
Sen. Saxby Chambliss introduced anti-farmworker amendments. In an effort to obtain additional Republican supporters, the bill’s cosponsors discussed potential compromises with Sen. Chambliss. Fortunately, his amendments were not included in the final bill. Farmworker Justice worked with the UFW and others to help prevent Sen. Chambliss’s harmful amendments from moving forward. No compromise regarding those amendments was reached. Thank you to those of you who weighed in with your Senators to oppose Sen. Chambliss’s amendments.

Last night,Sen. Chambliss spoke on the Senate floor about the agricultural compromise and his amendments to it. He said he wanted to bring his concerns to the attention of his colleagues in the Senate and his friends in the House of Representatives. Specifically, Sen. Chambliss highlighted his interest in making it more difficult for farmworkers to enter the blue card program and to earn lawful permanent residency. He noted that with legal status, the farmworkers with blue cards could “work in any job in the United States” and may work in another industry “where the working conditions are better and maybe even the pay is better.” He also spoke about his amendments to the new future worker program in S.744, including his interest in limiting the liability of agricultural employers, which he proposed to do by gutting worker access to legal services, and limiting access to the courts through binding alternative dispute resolution. Despite Sen. Chambliss’s unjustified complaints about frivolous litigation, the reality is that guestworkers are vulnerable to abuse and need access to legal services and the judicial system to deter and remedy violations of their limited rights. Even with this access, most guestworkers are reluctant to come forward to complain about workplace violations. The temporary agricultural worker program in S.744 includes coverage under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, portability of the visa under the W-4 program (so some workers can switch employers), legal services representation, and access to the judicial system, and is included in the new international labor recruitment protections in the bill. These provisions are much-needed, integral components of the compromise that the UFW prioritized. The Congressional record of Sen. Chambliss’s speech is available here.

Stay tuned for more updates about the immigration debate as we turn to challenges ahead in the House of Representatives.

Today at 4pm ET, the Senate will conclude debate and cast the final vote on its comprehensive immigration reform bill, S. 744. There will be a series of procedural votes beforehand. Majority Leader Reid requested that Senators cast their votes from their desk, an unusual requirement marking the importance of this vote

Update on Sen. Chambliss’s Amendments
Sen. Saxby Chambliss introduced anti-farmworker amendments. In an effort to obtain additional Republican supporters, the bill’s cosponsors discussed potential compromises with Sen. Chambliss. Fortunately, his amendments were not included in the final bill. Farmworker Justice worked with the UFW and others to help prevent Sen. Chambliss’s harmful amendments from moving forward. No compromise regarding those amendments was reached. Thank you to those of you who weighed in with your Senators to oppose Sen. Chambliss’s amendments.

Last night,Sen. Chambliss spoke on the Senate floor about the agricultural compromise and his amendments to it. He said he wanted to bring his concerns to the attention of his colleagues in the Senate and his friends in the House of Representatives. Specifically, Sen. Chambliss highlighted his interest in making it more difficult for farmworkers to enter the blue card program and to earn lawful permanent residency. He noted that with legal status, the farmworkers with blue cards could “work in any job in the United States” and may work in another industry “where the working conditions are better and maybe even the pay is better.” He also spoke about his amendments to the new future worker program in S.744, including his interest in limiting the liability of agricultural employers, which he proposed to do by gutting worker access to legal services, and limiting access to the courts through binding alternative dispute resolution. Despite Sen. Chambliss’s unjustified complaints about frivolous litigation, the reality is that guestworkers are vulnerable to abuse and need access to legal services and the judicial system to deter and remedy violations of their limited rights. Even with this access, most guestworkers are reluctant to come forward to complain about workplace violations. The temporary agricultural worker program in S.744 includes coverage under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, portability of the visa under the W-4 program (so some workers can switch employers), legal services representation, and access to the judicial system, and is included in the new international labor recruitment protections in the bill. These provisions are much-needed, integral components of the compromise that the UFW prioritized. The Congressional record of Sen. Chambliss’s speech is available here.

Stay tuned for more updates about the immigration debate as we turn to challenges ahead in the House of Representatives.