On January 7, 2004, the President proposed a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing U.S. employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. The President's proposal outlined a set of guiding principals that laid the foundation for any future legislation. Those principals include: protecting the homeland by controlling our borders, serving America's economy by matching a willing worker with a willing employer, promoting compassion by preventing the exploitation of temporary workers, providing incentives for temporary workers to return to their home country, and protecting the rights of legal immigrants (the program should not connect participation to a green card or citizenship, however, it should not preclude a participant from obtaining green card status through the existing process).

Introduced in the Senate of the United States on September 23, 2003. A Bill to provide for the adjustment of status of certain foreign agricultural workers, to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform the H2A worker program under that Act, to provide a stable, legal agricultural workforce, to extend basic legal protections and better working conditions to more workers, and for other purposes. Federal legislative information is available via the Internet through the THOMAS system by searching on the bill number (S.359).

Introduced in the Senate of the United States on December 13, 2005. A Bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the employment of foreign agricultural workers, and for other purposes. Federal legislative information is available via the Internet through the THOMAS system by searching on the bill number (S.2087).