View Daily Data Tracking History
View Bill Text
View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact
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wage law should be repealed and whether farm labor contractors should be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
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4 EXEMPTION OF FARM WORKERS FROM THE MINIMUM WAGE LAW SHOULD BE REPEALED AND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
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