On 12/15/11, in order to release his hold on hold on H.R. 3012, Senator
Grassley offered an amendment that would make dramatic changes to the bill
including elimination of the family per county limit increase and reducing
the employment based per country limit to 15%. Furthermore, his amendment
would eliminate the diversity visa program and adds in provisions that would
increase enforcement and U.S. worker protections to the H-1B and L-1 visa
programs.
Senator Grassley’s amendment was objected to, therefore his hold on the
bill remains. While other senators may try to negotiate a compromise
amendment with Senator Grassley, at this time it appears unlikely that such
an agreement is likely.
Grassley's action makes it highly unlikely that the bill can advance toward
a Senate vote, at least for now. He opposes it because it does not "better
protect Americans who seek high-skill jobs during this time of record
unemployment," he stated in the Senate, according to Computerworld. Grassley
and his committee colleague Dick Durban (D-Illinois) have long fought to
improve protections for high-skilled American workers. We will keep you
posted of course.
