AgJOBS Act of 2009
Latest action · May 14, 2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5506-5517)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 14, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009 or the AgJOBS Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to confer "blue card status" upon an alien who: (1) has performed agricultural employment in the United States for at least 863 hours or 150 work days during the 24-month period ending on December 31, 2008; (2) applied for such status during the 18-month application period beginning on the first day of the seventh month that begins after the date of enactment of this Act; (3) is otherwise admissible to the United States; and (4) has not been convicted of any felony or a misdemeanor, an element of which involves bodily injury, threat of serious bodily injury, or harm to property in excess of $500.
Limits the number of blue cards that may be issued during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
Directs the Secretary to adjust a blue card alien (and spouse and minor children) to permanent resident status if the alien has fulfilled specified periods of agricultural employment.
Amends the Social Security Act to exempt blue card aliens from prosecution for social security-related identity or payment false statements if such conduct occurred prior to the granting of blue card status.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise H-2A visa (agricultural labor or temporary or seasonal services) provisions. Replaces the existing labor certification requirement with a labor attestation requirement containing: (1) a description of the nature and location of the job; (2) the job's expected beginning and ending dates; (3) the number of jobs; and (4) specified labor assurances respecting job opportunities covered by collective bargaining agreements and non-covered job opportunities.
Cosponsors 22
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 14, 2009 to Mar 11, 2010; 16 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-MI | Carl Levin | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-CT | Christopher J. Dodd | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-DE | Edward E. Kaufman | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-MA | Edward M. Kennedy | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-WI | Herb Kohl | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-NM | Jeff Bingaman | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| I-CT | Joseph I. Lieberman | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-WI | Russell D. Feingold | Original | May 14, 2009 |
| D-IA | Tom Harkin | May 21, 2009 | |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Jul 31, 2009 | |
| D-MN | Al Franken | Aug 6, 2009 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Sep 8, 2009 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Dec 14, 2009 | |
| R-IN | Richard G. Lugar | Mar 11, 2010 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 14, 2009 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 14, 2009Introduced in Senate
- May 14, 2009Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5504-5506, S5517-5520)
- May 14, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5506-5517)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S5461, S5504–S5506, S5504–S5521Text printed S5506–S5517 | Charles E. Schumer D-NY, Dianne Feinstein D-CA (text), Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Sam Brownback R-KS | May 14, 2009 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL32044 | Immigration: Policy Considerations Related to Guest Worker Programs Archived | Report | Mar 16, 2010 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2414 | AgJOBS Act of 2009 | Related bill | Jun 12, 2009 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to improve agricultural job opportunities, benefits, and security for aliens in the United States and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2009
- AgJOBS Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Homeland Security
- Foreign labor
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
- Travel and tourism
- Visas and passports
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 14, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
