Idaho Legislature: Ask Legislators to VOTE NO on H0297 - Idaho guest worker program act (posted 02/27/25)

• Bill: legislature.idaho.gov/s…

• Contact Legislators: emailidaho.com

(Check the linked page or use My Bill Tracker for the bill’s current status.)

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H0297 is a giveaway to farming, ranching, dairy, and agricultural processing industries that employ illegal aliens, benefitting industries with cheap (slave) labor and rewarding illegal border crossers with work.

H0297 wouldn’t be surprising in CA, OR, WA, NY, etc. But it’s shocking to Idahoans, many of whom fled here seeking sanity and the rule of law as defined in our Constitution.

Many argue that failure to pass H0297 will be a hardship on farmers and ranchers.

• Who will pick fruit?

• Who will milk cows?

• Who will work in meat packing plants?

This argument is specious, and similar to arguments used in the Civil War era to support slavery (who will pick cotton)?

The net effect of illegal immigration is negative: Drugs, gangs, and human trafficking; potential voter fraud; assorted violent crimes and petty crimes; car accidents; sovereignty and rule of law trashed. Moreover, many low-paid illegals depend on citizen taxpayers for food, housing, and medical care.

We must use every tool available, including E-Verify (H0252), to ensure that only those who are legally present can work.

Details:

• Creates a state-based, year-round agricultural guest worker program administered by Department of Labor.

• Eligibility: Idaho resident, never refused admission or deported (“gottaways” welcome!), requires background check and fingerprints, no prior felony convictions. (Future felons lose work privileges.)

• Employers must register.

• Permitted workers must have promise of a job and maintain employment.

• Not allowed to drive on public roadways.

• Workers must pay state and federal income taxes.

• Does not change federal immigration status, entitle citizenship, provide immunity from federal law, provide driving or voting privileges, or obtain unemployment compensation.

• Ongoing Costs: Dedicated fund paid by participating employers to offset administration costs.

• Initial Startup Costs: General Fund $350K, including 3 FTP and programming costs.

• Court Challenge Costs: Covered by Constitutional Defense Fund.

Related:

• US Constitution Article 4, Section 4: constitution.congress.g…

• Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion: whitehouse.gov/presiden…

• More Foreign Workers is Not the Answer: gemstatechronicle.com/2…

• Idaho’s Illegal Immigration, Open Borders, Related Crimes & Security: