AgJOBS 2007 Introduced in U.S. Senate

On January 10, 2007, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced S.237, the "Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2007," commonly referred to as the "AgJOBS Act."

If passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President, Title I, Section 104(h) of the bill would allow LSC-funded programs to represent non-U.S. citizens in matters directly related to that person's application to reside legally, but temporarily, in the United States. LSC-funded programs would also be allowed to provide representation to lawful temporary residents applying to become lawful permanent residents, but only if the representation directly applied to the application process.

Currently, Congressional restrictions prohibit LSC-funded programs from providing this type of representation.

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which has yet to act on it. Eight Senators are co-sponsoring this bill, including Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), Edward Kennedy (MA), and Barack Obama (IL), and Republicans Larry Craig (ID), Mel Martinez (FL), and George Voinovich (OH).

In the 109th Congress, bills containing similar language were introduced in both the House and Senate, but failed to become law.