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Rep. Diaz-Balart In LaBelle To Discuss Farm Workforce Legislation

WGCU | By Andrea Perdomo
Published November 27, 2019 at 11:15 AM EST
United States Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25)

Republican United States congressman Mario Diaz-Balart was in LaBelle Tuesday to meet with people in the agriculture industry about a bill he is sponsoring.

  

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, is a bipartisan effort that aims to reform the current visa program which allows farm owners to employ foreign workers.

Diaz-Balart said the legislation was long over-due.

"It's becoming a crisis, they [farm owners] cannot get the people that are needed to work in our AG industry," Diaz-Balart said.

Diaz Balart said both democrats and republicans in congress agree that there needs to be a cost-effective way to secure a steady workforce.

"The system as it currently stands is dysfunctional, and so this [bill] would modernize that system," Diaz-Balart said. "Make it [H-2A Visa program] quicker, faster, less expensive while dealing with—in a very fair way—The AG workers and also interior security so that we have a legal workforce." 

Diaz Balart said the bill has the support of over 300 farm groups across the country and believes it will be heard on the floor of the House.
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Rep. Mario Diaz-BalartFarm Workforce Modernization ActFlorida AgricultureFlorida Agriculture IndustryWGCU NewsLocalLaBelleHendry County
Andrea Perdomo
Andrea Perdomo is a reporter for WGCU News. She started her career in public radio as an intern for the Miami-based NPR station, WLRN. Andrea graduated from Florida International University, where she was a contributing writer for the student-run newspaper, The Panther Press, and was also a member of the university's Society of Professional Journalists chapter.
See stories by Andrea Perdomo
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