Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
With a new farm bill approved, what are the chances Congress might actually pass meaningful immigration reform this year? Commissioner Troxler says with it being an election year for House members and many senators, the chances of immigration reform are pretty slim.
The Senate passed an immigration reform bill last summer, but the House has always said it wouldn’t take up the bill and would write its own version instead. In late January, House leaders released a set of guiding principles that will be used in writing that chamber’s version of immigration policy. One of those principles is reforming the legal immigration system. It appears that would include reform of the guest worker program that agriculture depends heavily on.
Commissioner Troxler and his counterparts in other states have been working on immigration reform through the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for several years. Improving the federal guest worker program for agriculture remains a priority for NASDA.
But House Speaker John Boehner said recently that, even with the guiding principles established, it’s unlikely the House will move forward with an immigration reform bill this year.
Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about why the prospects of immigration reform remain so dim.
[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_2-18.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Feb. 18]
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