Washington (CNN) The House passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would grant legal status to thousands of undocumented farmworkers.

While previous legislative efforts seeking to legalize a larger number of undocumented immigrants have failed, Wednesday's vote is significant both for what it tries to achieve and for the Republican support it received. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 260-165, though it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

The measure would provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants working in agriculture, reforms a temporary agricultural program used by employers and requires companies to verify whether workers are in the United States legally through a federal system.

Taken together, the reforms laid out in the legislation has the potential of bringing about sweeping changes to an industry that's relied on undocumented immigrants. According to the Pew Research Center , in 2016, immigrants without legal status accounted for 15% of workers in the agriculture industry.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, in a break from leading impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump, underscored the labor challenges facing the agricultural sector.

Read More