HELP Farms Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Immigration and citizenshipFull membership in the national political community: the right to vote in federal elections, hold most federal offices, carry a U.S. passport, and never be deported.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Helping Labor Personnel on Farms Act or the HELP Farms Act
This bill provides nonrenewable temporary resident status for certain nonseasonal agricultural workers.
To apply for such status, a qualifying alien must be sponsored by a qualifying employer and provide certain required documentation within six months of this bill's enactment. A qualifying alien shall (1) be a U.S. resident for tax purposes for a certain period of time, (2) not qualify for a temporary agricultural worker (H-2A) visa, and (3) have been employed by the sponsoring employer for the two years preceding the date of the application. An alien shall be ineligible for temporary resident status for various safety-related reasons, such as a conviction in the United States for a particularly serious crime (e.g. murder or rape).
The spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age of an alien who receives such status shall also be eligible for such status.
While an application is pending, a qualified alien shall not be considered unlawfully present in the United States or an unauthorized alien. If a qualified alien is detained or in removal proceedings during the application period, the alien shall be given a reasonable opportunity to apply for temporary resident status.
The Department of Labor shall modify regulations related to H-2A visas to ensure that aliens wishing to temporarily come to the United States to perform nonseasonal agricultural labor may do so on an annual basis.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 16, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 26, 2019: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Chris Collins (R-NY) introduced it on May 16, 2019, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 4 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 16, 2019, 2674 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2633 days ago, on June 26, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers