SINCLAIRVILLE – Congressman Tom Reed was in Chautauqua County yesterday to announce the Family Farm Relief Act in the House of Representatives – a bill he is co-sponsoring.
The Family Farm Relief Act will move administration of the current H-2A seasonal agriculture worker program, including moving administration of the program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture, where the needs of the farmer are better understood. The bill contains other reforms, most notably the inclusion of dairy workers in the H-2A program (dairy farmers are not presently allowed in the H-2A program).
The Act also includes other reforms to the H-2A visa program, which Reed says is fraught with regulatory burdens which deter use of the program. It removes the regulatory red-tape, streamlines administration and includes dairy workers so farmers can provide our communities with quality products.
Reed made his comments while visiting the Tenpas farm in Sinclairville.
Reed is running for re-election in the state’s recently redrawn 23rd congressional district, which covers all of Chautauqua County.
Leave a Reply