By Jeremy Redmon The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 8:43 p.m. Thursday, May 26, 2011 Migrant farmworkers are bypassing Georgia because of the state’s tough new immigration enforcement law, creating a severe labor shortage among fruit and vegetable growers here and potentially putting hundreds of millions of dollars in crops in jeopardy, agricultural industry leaders said this week. Meanwhile, the state’s Republican labor and agricultural commissioners are discussing issuing a joint statement in the coming days about what they intend to do about the labor shortage, a Labor Department spokesman confirmed Thursday. Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers

NOTES on the Immigration Reform Bill – H.B. 87  - passed by the General Assembly on April 14, 2011.  (this is GFVGA’s understanding of the Bill as passed and not a legal interpretation of the final legislation.  Due to amendments made in the Bill in the final hours of the session, there may be changes to some of the items listed below.)   1.  The Bill includes E-verify for companies with ten or more employees, working 35 or more hours a week, on Janaury 1 of the year in question. For example if you employ 11 employees on January 1

Some good news! Under the leadership of Senator John Bulloch, the Senate voted last night to remove the E-Verify mandate for private employers. There is still some parts of the bill dealing with enforcement that are not favorable, but this is a huge step in the right direction. Senator Bulloch shared the industry letter that you signed with each senator and referenced it during his comments. With your help, we made a difference in the future of this bill. Thank you for adding your name to the industry letter.  BUT, it isn't over.  The bill now goes back to the