Well, well, Lookie
Amendment 2428 would provide an interim solution for companies and organizations in need of highly skilled workers by raising the H-1B cap to 115,000 for 2008. It would also recapture unused EB green cards from previous fiscal years, and make them available to help alleviate the current backlogs. These provisions would provide a needed short-term fix to the system,” the chamber argued.
Ok, so who is trying to do the US Chamber of Commerce bidding this time in congress? There are so many willing!
Why Senator John Cornyn, of course! Yes, yet again, on July 27th, Cornyn pushes his US Chamber of Commerce cheap labor agenda!
The amendment: S.AMDT.2428 or SA 2428
What must pass bill are they trying to hide it in now?
H.R.2638: Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes
What does it say?
From Page S9965
SA 2428. Mr. CORNYN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2638, making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISAS.
(a) Recapture of Unused Employment-Based Immigrant Visas.–Section 106(d) of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-313; 8 U.S.C. 1153 note) is amended–
(1) in paragraph (1)–
(A) by inserting “1994, 1996, 1997, 1998,” after “available in fiscal year”;
(B) by striking “or 2004” and inserting “2004, or 2006”; and
(C) by striking “be available” and all that follows and inserting the following: “be available only to–
“(A) employment-based immigrants under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of section 203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b));
“(B) the family members accompanying or following to join such employment-based immigrants under section 203(d) of such Act; and
“(C) those immigrant workers who had petitions approved based on Schedule A, Group I under section 656.5 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, as promulgated by the Secretary of Labor.”; and
(2) in paragraph (2)–
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking “1999 through 2004” and inserting “1994, 1996 through 1998, 2001 through 2004, and 2006”; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
“(ii) DISTRIBUTION OF VISAS.–The total number of visas made available under paragraph (1) from unused visas from fiscal years 1994, 1996 through 1998, 2001 through 2004, and 2006 shall be distributed as follows:
“(I) The total number of visas made available for immigrant workers who had petitions approved based on Schedule A, Group I under section 656.5 of title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, as promulgated by the Secretary of Labor shall be 61,000.
“(II) The visas remaining from the total made available under subclause (I) shall be allocated to employment-based immigrants with approved petitions under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of section 203(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (and their family members accompanying or following to join).”.
(b) H-1B Visa Availability.–Section 214(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(g)(1)(A)) is amended–
(1) in clause (vi), by striking “and” at the end;
(2) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause (ix); and
(3) by inserting after clause (vi) the following:
[Page: S9966] GPO’s PDF
“(vii) 65,000 in each of fiscal years 2004 through 2007;
“(viii) 115,000 in fiscal year 2008; and”.
Those lying lips of Congress!
I’m not sure about the political process at this point. I know that when a bill is about to come up for a vote in the senate or the house, we can call our senators or congressmen to ask them to either vote for or against it. But, is there a way to help keep an ammendment from getting into a bill?
As I understand it that’s up to the majority leader, committee chair (if in committee) to limit amendments. I agree Sen. Cornyn clearly is trying every trick in the book to get the U.S. Chamber of Commerce agenda through. He even tried to sneak in the SKIL bill into the India nuclear deal after the agreement has passed both houses, as a conferee, in a secret meeting.