A bill intended to help Colorado farmers more easily hire foreign workers cleared its first major hurdle Tuesday, but only after its sponsor jettisoned some key provisions.
Sponsored by Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, House Bill 1325 seeks to speed up the process for farmers to get federal H-2A visas for seasonal laborers by having the state coordinate health and background screening for foreign workers before they come to Colorado. The bill was stripped of language requesting a federal waiver to allow the state to help speed up the process to get H-2A visas for workers. Looper also deleted language that would have required farmers to withhold up to 20 percent of a worker’s paycheck, which would have been refunded when the laborer returned to his or her home country.
The House state affairs committee approved HB 1325 on a 7-4 vote, sending it to the House Appropriations Committee.
Tim Hoover, The Denver Post
