The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) supports the bill introduced in the Senate on Dec. 15, titled the Affordable and Secure Food Act of 2022 (ASFA). The bill, introduced by Sen. Michael Bennet, is similar to the Farm Workforce Modernization Act that was passed in the House of Representatives in 2021.
The ASFA would create a path to legal status for undocumented farm workers and freeze the adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) at the 2022 rates for one year and cap future increases by 3%. The bill would also:
- Establish a program for agriculture workers, along with their spouses and minor children, to earn legal status. Farm workers in the program may earn a path to a green card after 10 years of agriculture work.
- Reform the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker program by providing H-2A visas for year-round jobs for the first time, modernizing the application process, creating more wage certainty and ensuring critical protections for H-2A farm workers.
- Establish a mandatory, nationwide electronic verification system for all agricultural employment, with high standards for privacy and accuracy.
- Lower the cost of and increase access to farm workers and rural housing.
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