# 119-hr-3227: Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025 119-hr-3227, Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3227 - As of: 2026-09-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-3227 - Congress: 119 - Title: Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-05-07 - Sponsor: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA) - Cosponsors: 11 - Policy area: Immigration - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-21 ## Summary **Creates a Certified Agricultural Worker (CAW) pathway** to give many farmworkers temporary status and a route to permanent residence, while also overhauling the H‑2A guest‑worker rules and adding a mandatory electronic employment‑verification system. ## Cosponsors (11) - Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] (R-WA), 2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2] (R-ID), 2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22] (R-CA), 2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13] (D-CA), 2025-05-07T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2025-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2025-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] (D-WA), 2026-01-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Certified Agricultural Worker program: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create a Certified Agricultural Worker (CAW) status and a limited application window (18 months after an interim rule). Applicants who file would get a receipt that employers must accept while the case is pending. Approved CAW status would last five and a half years and c… - More funding for farmworker housing: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would authorize large annual amounts for farmworker housing from FY2026 through FY2035. It would authorize $75 million per year for loan costs, $30 million per year for housing grants, and $2.7 billion per year for rental assistance. The bill would also allow up to $200 million… - Preserve USDA rural rental housing: benefit, high. This bill would create a USDA program to preserve and revitalize multifamily rental housing. The Secretary would be able to restructure loans and attach long‑term affordability rules tied to restructured loan terms or 20 years. The program would authorize $200 million per year for FY2026–FY2030 and… - SSA funding for verification work: benefit, medium. Starting in fiscal year 2026, the bill would require SSA and DHS to have an agreement to fund SSA for verification work. Funds would be provided in advance each quarter based on agreed estimates, with an annual reconciliation reviewed by Inspectors General. If no new agreement exists by Oct. 1, the… - Ban on unfair hiring verification: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would be barred from using the verification System to screen applicants before hire. The bill would ban adverse actions based only on a tentative nonconfirmation, unauthorized reverification, forced self‑checks, and discrimination tied to verification results. Employers would… - Help and tech funding for affordable housing: benefit, low. If enacted, the Agriculture Department would be able to give grants to nonprofits and public housing agencies to help preserve at-risk affordable apartment buildings. The bill would also authorize $50 million for fiscal year 2026 to upgrade USDA systems that process multifamily housing loans. The f… - H-2A wage studies and reporting: benefit, low. If enacted, USDA and the Labor Department would study whether H-2A jobs have lowered U.S. farmworker wages starting in fiscal year 2032. They must report to Congress by October 1, 2033, and Labor would write new wage-determination rules for years after 2035. The agencies must also produce a detaile… - New national work-verification system: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would create a new federal online system to check work eligibility. Employers who hire, recruit, or refer for a fee would have to run checks and follow timelines that generally finish within three business days. The system would give workers a 10-business-day window to contest… - Tenant rights and voucher rules: mixed, medium. The bill would expand who can get rural housing vouchers and some USDA housing help. Certified Agricultural Workers and their dependents would be eligible for certain USDA housing assistance. Owners could request rental assistance renewals for up to 20 years, and could temporarily reuse authority f… - New H-2A employer duties and worker pay: mixed, medium. If enacted, employers using H-2A workers would face more duties. Employers must pay the highest applicable wage (collective-bargaining wage, AEWR, prevailing wage, or Federal/State minimum). Employers must provide housing that meets standards and keep detailed records. Employers must reimburse or p… - New rules for foreign recruiters: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would require foreign labor recruiters and many farm labor contractors to register online, post surety bonds, and pay an application fee. Recruiters and their agents could not collect recruitment fees from workers, and recruiters would face fines, registration denial, or disqua… - Portable H-2A and visa limits: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create pilots and rules to let some H-2A workers move between registered farm employers using an online matching platform. DHS must set up a portable H-2A pilot within 18 months and run a six-year pilot; a separate portable pilot would cap status-holders at 10,000 at a ti… - Limits on farmworker wage increases: mixed, low. The bill would set the data priority for calculating the Adverse Effect Wage Rate. It would freeze the AEWR for calendar year 2026. For 2027–2035 the AEWR generally could not fall more than 1.5% or rise more than 3.25% from the prior year. If that 3.25% rise still left the AEWR under 110% of the ap… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act - 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 - 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act - 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 - 119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act ## Sources - [119-hr-3227 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3227) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262) - [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514) - [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102) - [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909) - [119-hr-4382: America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4382) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3227 (as of 2026-09-21).