Grassley wants worker 'protections' in green card bill
Senator puts 'hold' on bill to eliminate green card per country caps
By Patrick Thibodeau
December 5, 2011 11:42 AM ET2 Comments
Computerworld - WASHINGTON -- Longtime H-1B visa reformer U.S. Sen.
Chuck
Grassley (R-Iowa) is blocking Senate action on a bill to eliminate per
country caps on employment-sponsored green cards because "it does
nothing to
better protect Americans."
The bill, the "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act" (H.R. 3012),
which
sailed through the U.S. House late last month on a 389 to 15 vote,
eliminated per country caps on employment-sponsored green cards.
But Grassley, who has been fighting for major changes in the H-1B rules,
didn't specify what changes he is seeking to the House bill. It's
possible
that he may be using the legislation to seek broader concessions in the
use
of all employer-sponsored visas, including H-1B.
Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, last
week placed a "hold" on the bill, placing it in a procedural limbo that
may
sink this effort.
"I have concerns about the impact of this bill on future immigration
flows,
and am concerned that it does nothing to better protect Americans at
home
who seek high-skilled jobs during this time of record high
unemployment,"
said Grassley, last week, in the Senate in announcing his action.
The House bill doesn't increase green-card immigration, but is designed
to
reduce the wait for permanent residency where the backlog for green
cards is
the longest, particularly in India and China. The U.S. issues 140,000
employment-sponsored green cards annually under a system that sets
uniform
per country caps.
But Grassley's comment about the bill, and his reference to worker
protections, suggest that he is seeking a broader bill.
Grassley, along with Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill.), has been trying for
years,
to reform the H-1B visa program to give U.S. workers preference in
hiring,
increase the prevailing wages, and limit use of the visa by offshore
outsourcing firms.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced a companion bill (S. 1857) to the
House bill.
