Arizona Legislature to Address Temporary Workers for Arizona Only
“Since the federal government has not addressed immigration reform, many states are passing state laws that provide relief to local state problems,” said Senator Arzberger. “This program deals with the problem of Arizona employers’ need for legal immigrant workers.”
Rep. Konopnicki stated, “The proposed Arizona Temporary Worker Program is needed by Arizona businesses. It will help fill the need for workers in occupations that local workers are not available to fill. We have Arizona industries that are economically suffering for lack of an adequate workforce, including workers to pick their crops.”
“Historically, there have been several immigrant worker programs in the United States. All of them were created to fill an unmet need for workers, and the history records that I researched showed that each of these programs had a positive effect on the economy,” added Senator Arzberger.
Under the Arizona Temporary Worker Program, on request and application by an employer, the state of Arizona will issue Arizona temporary worker cards to sponsored foreign workers, after background checks. The cards will be non-forgeable. Fingerprints of recruited workers are required for background checks. The cards will be authorized for two years, with renewal upon the employer’s request and application. Employers will be required to comply with all employee-related state and federal laws.
Workers approved through the Arizona program can only work in Arizona and are not allowed to travel outside of Arizona. If a worker leaves the state, is absent from work for fourteen consecutive days, is convicted of a crime in Arizona, or cannot be located, the Industrial Commission will revoke the temporary worker legal identification card. Law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be notified that the worker’s legal immigration status is revoked and the worker is subject to deportation.
The legislation is SB 1482 in the Senate and HB 2791 in the House. The petitions to Congress are SCM 1010 and HCM 2012. In order to implement the program, Congress will need to authorize the Arizona program.
During the current economic slowdown, employers are searching for skilled workers to keep their industries operating at a profitable level. Industries that have expressed a need for legal workers include the agriculture, vegetable, hotel and hospitality, homebuilding, greenhouse, and hospital and nursing home industries.
“We need a legal and reliable labor supply. These bills sponsored by Senator Arzberger and Representative Konopnicki will help us achieve this. Arizona Farm Bureau thanks Senator Arzberger for recognizing the need for worker visas,” said Kevin Rogers, President of the Arizona Farm Bureau and a Maricopa County farmer.
“In Yuma, we need a system for winter vegetable farming that requires 20,000 to 30,000 seasonal workers during harvest. The visa system proposed by Senator Arzberger would allow temporary employees to go back and forth daily. Right now, we just don’t have an adequate labor force to accommodate the entire harvest,” said Tim Dunn, Vice President of the Arizona Farm Bureau, President of Dunn Grain Company, and Yuma resident.
"We must find a way to ensure Arizona businesses have access to a sufficient number of legal workers. Relying on our broken federal immigration system makes this nearly impossible, said Glenn Hamer, President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We are glad to see Sen. Arzberger working on a solution that will allow companies to take down their 'help wanted' signs."
"The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce stands in support of Senator Marsha Arzberger’s first step in establishing an Arizona temporary worker program. SB 1482 and HB 2791 address the need for temporary labor in areas of the economy that suffer from shortages of local workers. This program promises to provide a legal and reliable method for matching qualified workers with Arizona businesses in need of temporary employees. I thank Senator Arzberger for her leadership and commitment to Arizona’s future," said Katie Pushor, President and CEO, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.
“We have seen the lack of available labor in Graham County and other parts of rural Arizona cause a great hardship on our agricultural community. It is increasingly difficult to find workers who can work in the fields planting, cultivating and harvesting crops. Our farmers face the very real threat that crops either would not be planted or worse could be left in the fields unable to be harvested. While we do not support illegal immigration or amnesty, we do recognize a very real need for labor to be able to come here legally on a temporary basis to fill specific job needs which are currently not being met,” said Jim Palmer, Chairman Graham County Board of Supervisors.
“Eurofresh, Inc., the largest agricultural entity in Graham County, produces tomatoes that are marketed internationally. Timely harvesting, packaging and shipping of the tomatoes is crucial. The opportunities provided in this legislation help assure their continuing success,” Mark Herrington, Graham County Supervisor.
“Arizona has unique problems and is a border state. Allowing legal workers to be authorized to cross through legal ports on the Arizona-Mexico border, with non-forgeable documentation, to fulfill a need for workers in this state will help our industries be productive and profitable. We believe this program has been structured with tight discipline and could be a real economic advantage to our state,” commented Senator Arzberger.
