US Congress House Bill 4916 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced on October 30 2019 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2019-11-15 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Contains provisions related to alien farmworkers, including provisions establishing a certified agricultural worker (CAW) status and changing the H-2A temporary worker program. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may grant CAW status to an applying alien who (1) performed at least 1,035 hours of agricultural labor during the two-year period prior to October 30, 2019, (2) was inadmissible or deportable on that date, and (3) has been continuously present in the United States from that date until receiving CAW status. The bill imposes additional crime-related inadmissibility grounds on CAW applicants and makes some other grounds inapplicable. CAW status shall be valid for 5.5 years and may be extended. DHS may grant dependent status to the spouse or children of a principal alien. An alien with a pending application may not be detained or removed by DHS and shall be authorized for employment until DHS makes a final decision on the application. A CAW alien (and dependents) may apply for lawful permanent resident status after meeting various requirements, including performing a certain amount of agricultural labor for a number of years. DHS shall create an electronic platform for (1) filing H-2A petitions, (2) facilitating the processing of H-2A cases, and (3) providing agencies a single tool for obtaining H-2A-related case information. The bill makes various changes to the H-2A program, such as (1) modifying the method for calculating and making adjustments to the H-2A worker minimum wage, (2) specifying how an employer may satisfy requirements that it attempted to recruit U.S. workers, (3) requiring H-2A employers to guarantee certain minimum work hours, and (4) making the program available for year-round agricultural work and reserving a visa allocation for the dairy industry. DHS shall establish a pilot program allowing certain H-2A workers to apply for portable status, which gives the worker 60 days after leaving a position to secure new employment with a registered H-2A employer. DHS shall establish an electronic system patterned on the E-Verify Program for employers to verify an individual's identity and employment authorization. Employers hiring individuals for agricultural employment must use the system. permanently establishes the Housing Preservation and Revitalization Program, which provides financing assistance for rural rental housing and off-farm labor housing and rental assistance for qualified tenants of such housing. It also authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide various assistance, including funding for insuring loans and grants for new farmworker housing.

Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019

Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D-CA]	Rep. Dan Newhouse [R-WA]	Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]	Rep. Michael Simpson [R-ID]
Rep. Linda Sanchez [D-CA]	Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart [R-FL]	Rep. Jimmy Panetta [D-CA]	Rep. Doug LaMalfa [R-CA]
Rep. TJ Cox [D-CA]	Rep. Mark Amodei [R-NV]	Rep. Jim Costa [D-CA]	Rep. James Baird [R-IN]
Rep. Josh Harder [D-CA]	Rep. Susan Brooks [R-IN]	Rep. Anthony Brindisi [D-NY]	Rep. Tom Cole [R-OK]
Rep. Judy Chu [D-CA]	Rep. John Curtis [R-UT]	Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-OH]	Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL]
Rep. Al Lawson [D-FL]	Rep. Bob Gibbs [R-OH]	Rep. Elissa Slotkin [D-MI]	Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers [R-WA]
Rep. Luis Correa [D-CA]	Rep. Paul Mitchell [R-MI]	Rep. Xochitl Torres Small [D-NM]	Rep. Devin Nunes [R-CA]
Rep. Sylvia Garcia [D-TX]	Rep. Tom Reed [R-NY]	Rep. David Scott [D-GA]	Rep. Elise Stefanik [R-NY]
Rep. Salud Carbajal [D-CA]	Rep. Steve Stivers [R-OH]	Rep. Kurt Schrader [D-OR]	Rep. Fred Upton [R-MI]
Rep. Angela Craig [D-MN]	Rep. Don Young [R-AK]	Rep. Tony Cardenas [D-CA]	Rep. Greg Walden [R-OR]
Rep. Filemon Vela [D-TX]	Rep. Abigail Spanberger [D-VA]	Rep. Norma Torres [D-CA]	Rep. Kim Schrier [D-WA]
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick [R-PA]	Rep. Scott Peters [D-CA]	Rep. Lloyd Smucker [R-PA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2019-11-15	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
2019-10-30	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2019-10-30	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2019-10-30	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2019-10-30	House	Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2019-10-30	House	Introduced in House

HB3620 (Related) 2019-09-11 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
HB5038 (Related) 2019-12-12 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
HR758 (Similar To) 2019-12-11 - Mr. Nadler moved to table the motion to reconsider
HB1310 (Related) 2019-02-19 - Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4916/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr4916/BILLS-116hr4916ih.pdf