2000 Legislation
Print Friendly

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45 – Farm workers, minimum wage, study

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45

View Daily Data Tracking History

View Bill Text

View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



Text to be added within a bill has been marked with Bold and
Underline. Text to be removed has been marked with
Strikethrough and Italic. How these codes are actually displayed will
vary based on the browser software you are using.

This sentence is marked with bold and underline to show added text.

This sentence is marked with strikethrough and italic, indicating
text to be removed.

Daily Data Tracking History



HCR045..............................................by AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS
FARM WORKERS - MINIMUM WAGE - Stating findings of the Legislature and
authorizing the Legislative Council to appoint a committee to undertake and
complete a study of whether the exemption of farm workers from the minimum
wage law should be repealed and whether farm labor contractors should be
registered with the state.
                                                                        
02/21    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/22    Rpt prt - to Agric Aff
03/08    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/09    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/14    3rd rdg - ADOPTED - 55-12-3
      AYES -- Alltus, Barraclough, Bell, Bieter, Black, Boe, Bruneel,
      Campbell, Chase, Cheirrett, Clark, Cuddy, Deal, Denney, Ellsworth,
      Field(13), Field(20), Gagner, Gould, Hammond, Hansen(23), Hansen(29),
      Henbest, Jaquet, Jones, Judd, Kellogg, Kempton, Kunz, Lake, Linford,
      Mader, Marley, Meyer, Montgomery, Moss, Moyle, Pischner, Pomeroy,
      Reynolds, Ringo, Robison, Sali, Schaefer, Sellman, Shepherd, Smith,
      Smylie, Stevenson, Stoicheff, Stone, Tilman, Trail, Wheeler, Mr
      Speaker
      NAYS -- Barrett, Callister, Geddes, Hadley, Hornbeck, Kendell,
      McKague, Pearce, Ridinger, Taylor, Wood, Zimmermann
      Absent and excused -- Crow, Loertscher, Mortensen
    Floor Sponsor - Jones
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/15    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to St Aff
03/30    Rpt out - to 10th Ord
03/31    10th Ord - ADOPTED - 33-2-0
      AYES--Andreason, Boatright, Branch, Bunderson, Burtenshaw, Cameron,
      Crow, Danielson, Darrington, Davis, Deide, Dunklin, Frasure, Geddes,
      Hawkins, Ingram, Ipsen, Keough, King-Barrutia, McLaughlin, Noh,
      Richardson, Riggs, Risch, Sandy, Schroeder, Sorensen, Stegner,
      Stennett, Thorne, Wheeler, Whitworth, Williams
      NAYS--Lee, Parry
      Absent and excued--None
    Floor Sponsor - Sorensen
    Title apvd - to House
04/03    To enrol
04/04    Rpt enrol - Sp signed - Pres signed
04/05    To Secretary of State

Bill Text


 HCR045
                                                                        
                                                                        
  ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
 Fifty-fifth Legislature                  Second Regular Session - 2000
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45
                                                                        
                             BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                               A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
  2    STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND AUTHORIZING THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO
  3        APPOINT A COMMITTEE TO UNDERTAKE AND  COMPLETE  A  STUDY  OF  WHETHER  THE
  4        EXEMPTION OF FARM WORKERS FROM THE MINIMUM WAGE LAW SHOULD BE REPEALED AND
  5        WHETHER FARM LABOR CONTRACTORS SHOULD BE REGISTERED WITH THE STATE.
                                                                        
  6    Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
  7        WHEREAS, farm workers in Idaho are exempt from the minimum wage law;
  8        WHEREAS,  the  Idaho  Department of Labor estimates that at peak season in
  9    July, there are 34,810 agricultural workers in Idaho;
 10        WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture  reported  that  in  1998  the
 11    average  wage  rates  for  Idaho farm workers was $6.60 or above for all hired
 12    farm workers;
 13        WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also estimates that  about  17
 14    percent of farm workers in the Northwest are paid less than minimum wage;
 15        WHEREAS, many farm workers in Idaho are recruited and provided to agricul-
 16    tural  businesses  by farm labor contractors, who also pay wages to farm work-
 17    ers;
 18        WHEREAS, farm labor contractors are not  required  to  register  with  the
 19    state;
 20        WHEREAS, some citizens and organizations allege that farm workers are paid
 21    low wages due to economic, social and racial biases;
 22        WHEREAS,  the  issues  of  whether to repeal the exemption of farm workers
 23    from the minimum wage  law  and  whether  farm  labor  contractors  should  be
 24    licensed  are  important  and divisive issues in the state and have been hotly
 25    debated in the Idaho Legislature;
 26        WHEREAS, the dispute about these issues is harmful to the state's  economy
 27    and the national perception of Idaho.
 28        NOW,  THEREFORE,  BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
 29    sion of the Fifty-fifth Idaho Legislature, the House  of  Representatives  and
 30    the  Senate  concurring therein, that the Legislative Council is authorized to
 31    appoint a committee to undertake and complete a study of whether the exemption
 32    of farm workers from the minimum wage law should be repealed and whether  farm
 33    labor contractors should be registered with the state. The Legislative Council
 34    shall  appoint to the committee four members from the House of Representatives
 35    and four members from the Senate, and shall authorize the committee to receive
 36    input, advice and assistance from interested and affected parties who are  not
 37    members of the legislature.
 38        BE  IT FURTHER RESOLVED that nonlegislative members of the committee shall
 39    be appointed by the cochairs of the committee who are appointed by the  Legis-
 40    lative  Council. Nonlegislative members of the advisory committee shall not be
 41    reimbursed from legislative funds for per diem, mileage or other expenses  and
 42    shall  not have voting privileges regarding the committee's recommendations or
 43    proposed legislation.
 44        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall report its findings,  rec-
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    ommendations and proposed legislation, if any, to the First Regular Session of
  2    the Fifty-sixth Idaho Legislature.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


     
     
                STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 
                       RS10072 
     
     This resolution would create an interim committee to study the related issues of
     farm labor contractor registration and repeal of the current exemption from paying
     minimum wage to farm workers. These have been very divisive issues both inside
     and outside of the agricultural community and a good study with
     recommendations to the 2001 session of the legislature would help resolve this
     issue.
     
     
      
                     FISCAL NOTE 
     
     
     Six thousand dollars ($6,000.00) from Legislative Account. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
               CONTACT:  Rep. Jones
               332-1000 
     
                                             STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/ FISCAL NOTE                          HCR 45