Speech #1040192400

As a representative from one of the leading agricultural production regions in the United States. I am concerned with the potential impact of H.R. 2202 on the agricultural labor force. Measures in H.R. 2202 to control illegal immigration through effective border and interior enforcement and Improving the employment verification system could significantly reduce the work force currently entering the United States Illegally and working with false documentation. I support those efforts. At the same time. we must recognize that the agricultural industry In the United States has historically been faced with a need to supplement the domestic work force. especially during peak harvesting periods. Agricultural employers estimate that between 50 and 70 percent of the seasonal work force find employment using fraudulent employment eligibility documents. if provisions included In H.R. 2202 are enacted. agricultural growers could be facing a severe shortage of skilled seasonal workers during peak employment periods. History has shown that the current H2A program has been a regulatory and bureaucratic nightmare. rendering the program unusable for the vast majority of agricultural employers. Thus agriculture has no reliable means for ensuring an adequate supply of temporary and seasonal workers if the border and interior enforcement measures included In this legislation are really effective in controlling the entry of undocumented workers. An adequate supply of skilled seasonal labor is necessary to maintain the competitiveness of U.S. labor intensive agriculture. and to maintain the jobs and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of farmers. U.S. farm workers. and workers in related Industries.