AgJOBS to be Left Out of Farm Bill
AgJOBS champion and lead sponsor Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced on Nov. 5 that she will not push to get the legislation included as an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill, which is under consideration this week by the Senate.
In September, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) promised Sen. Feinstein he would bring AgJOBS, the SAF-supported comprehensive immigration reform legislation, to a vote this fall.
Sen. Feinstein had said she would try to attach AgJOBS to the Farm Bill as an amendment, in an attempt to pass the legislation. However, in a statement announcing her decision she said "... we took a clear-eyed assessment of the politics of the farm bill," and it became apparent that "many of our supporters believe they cannot support AgJOBS on the Farm Bill," as reported by the Bureau of National Affairs.
"The fight is not over," Feinstein said. "We will be seeking a time for this bill on the Senate floor — perhaps this winter or early next year."
"This development is a significant disappointment — what we ultimately want is passage of AgJOBS," says Jeanne Ramsay, SAF's senior director of government relations. "The farm bill also is very important to floriculture and we want to see that move forward in the Senate."
--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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