Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019
Latest action · Jan 17, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S294)
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.
- IntroducedJan 17, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019
This bill establishes a program for alien agricultural workers to obtain temporary resident status ("blue card status") and procedures to obtain permanent resident status.
An alien shall qualify for the status if he or she performed the required amount of qualified agricultural work. The Department of Homeland Security may grant blue card status to qualified individuals who pass security checks and are not disqualified for various reasons, such as an aggravated felony conviction. DHS may waive certain disqualifications for humanitarian or public interest reasons.
Blue card holders shall be authorized for employment in the United States and travel outside the United States. Such individuals shall be ineligible for various federal benefits, including the healthcare premium assistance tax credit.
Individuals going through deportation or removal proceedings shall be given a chance to apply for blue card status if they qualify.
Blue card holders may apply for permanent resident status, subject to various requirements, including work requirements over a specified time period and payment of federal taxes. Blue card status shall not last longer than eight years.
Cosponsors 14
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 17, 2019 to Oct 16, 2019; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-CA | Kamala D. Harris | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Original | Jan 17, 2019 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Feb 13, 2019 | |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Mar 27, 2019 | |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Oct 16, 2019 |
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 Jan 17, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 17, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Jan 17, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S294)
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 S294 | Dianne Feinstein D-CA | Jan 17, 2019 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 641 | Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019 | Related bill | Mar 4, 2019 |
| S 1034 | Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 | Reintroduction of | May 3, 2017 |
| HR 4151 | Undocumented Taxpayers Opportunity Act of 2019 | Related bill | Aug 28, 2019 |
Titles 2
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 Title(s) as Introduced
- Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 17, 2019Introduced 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.
