H1-B Visa Program for Foreign Workers
000524
site at http://www.fairus.org on this subject. Doesn't look very good
to me, but I'd be interested in hearing what you folks think too.
----------
Huntsville Times, Sunday, May 21, 2000, Page C9
Tech firms balk at conditions on labor shortage solution
House panel votes to allow hiring of skilled foreigners
by Jim Barnett - Newhouse News Service
Washington--High-tech industry stepped closer to solving its labor
crisis as a House panel voted to open U.S. borders to skilled foreign
workers. But the industry still faces tests of its clout on Capitol
Hill.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 18-11 to let high-tech firms hire
an unlimited number of foreign workers for the next three years. The
measure would eliminate an annual cap that is scheduled to shrink to
65,000 visas in 2002.
With high-tech driving the economy, the industry's needs have become
top priorities on Capitol Hill. And loosening the limit on visas for
skilled foreign hires is considered a "threshold issue" by many
high-tech lobbyists.
But the bill passed by Judiciary Wednesday contains provisions that the
industry finds unacceptable. Chief among them are requirements that
workers be paid at least $40,000 a year and that job descriptions be
posted on the Internet.
There may be more to come. As the bill wends its way to a floor vote
in coming weeks, a bipartisan alliance is crafting an amendment that
would raise the cost of high-tech's appetite for foreign labor.
The group is lead Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., who drafted the plan last
fall. It got an important boost this spring when Rep. Chris Cox,
R-Calif., a Republican leader and a staunch ally of the high-tech
industry, took an interest.
The centerpiece is a new scholarship program similar to the $7.7
billion federal Pell Grant system. With more money available, the
plan's sponsors hope, more U.S. students can get the college degree
they need to land high-tech jobs.
The hitch for high-tech: Companies pay. For each foreign worker hired,
a company would have to contribute $4,500 to a scholarship.
Wu says that's a small price compared with the cost--$70,000 or more--
f recruiting a new worker with computer skills and an advanced degree.
But high-tech lobbyists said the plan was nothing more than a tax in
disguise.
"This is, how do we get money out of these companies so the federal
government can give it out to universities and tell them what to do
with it?" said Mike Maibach, Intel Corp.'s top lobbyist in Washington.
"We're not for that."
In an interview Tuesday, Wu said he hoped to convince Intel and other
firms that his plan served their interests as well as those of U.S.
students by reducing demand for foreign labor.
"We would like it to be seen as a friendly amendment," he said.
Cox, who chairs the House Republican Policy Committee, could not be
reached for comment Wednesday. But an aide said Cox remained committed
to the plan and had scheduled a meeting with Wu.
"It's just working out details," said Fraser Zimmerman, the Cox aide.
In recent weeks, momentum has been building in both houses of Congress
for a solution to high-tech's employment dilemma. But after the
Judiciary vote Wednesday, Industry officials said they aren't getting
the kind of help they need.
Mary Dee Beall, A Hewlett-Packard official who is leading the
industry's effort, said her next step would be to lobby House Rules
Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., to allow a floor vote on
his own bill, which the industry prefers.
The stakes are high for high-tech, which has an estimated 300,000
vacant jobs in the United States. But they also are high for Wu, a
freshman who is the only House member born in Taiwan.
Wu has been under fire from high-tech lobbyists for his staunch
refusal to grant permanent normal trading relations to China. The
measure is scheduled to come to a floor vote this week, and Wu said
he continues to be lobbied to change his mind.
Mr. Jean Smith
In article <392C48CD...@no.spam>, 000524 <m...@no.spam> wrote:
> I've been reading The Federation for American Immigration Reform web
> site at http://www.fairus.org on this subject. Doesn't look very good
> to me, but I'd be interested in hearing what you folks think too.
>
Im surprised that a company like Intel can't figure out how to let folks
work where they are.
--
http://www.hahahockey.org/ http://www.iceskate.org
Here's a win-win proposition:
https://secure.paypal.com/refer/pal=jean_smith%40mindspring.com
http://www.gwbush.com http://www.changethecongress.com/
Paul Robichaux
Jean Smith" <jean_...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Im surprised that a company like Intel can't figure out how to let folks
>work where they are.
Intel's business is very capital-intensive. For example, their
fabrication facility in Hillsboro, OR cost more than US$1 billion. It's
chock-full of PhDs and other highly edjumacated people. Since it's not
feasible to start moving fabs to Hyderabad (or even Singapore),
companies like TI, Micron, and Intel are stuck with importing bodies.
Software, of course, is another matter entirely.
Cheers,
-Paul
--
Paul Robichaux <pa...@robichaux.net>
Robichaux & Associates <http://www.robichaux.net>
NT & Exchange deployment, planning, and consulting
<http://www.robichaux.net/writing/man-exchange.html>
Dan Harper
>
>In article <jean_smith-007CD...@news.prodigy.net>, "Mr.
>Jean Smith" <jean_...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>>Im surprised that a company like Intel can't figure out how to let folks
>>work where they are.
>
>Intel's business is very capital-intensive. For example, their
>fabrication facility in Hillsboro, OR cost more than US$1 billion. It's
>chock-full of PhDs and other highly edjumacated people. Since it's not
>feasible to start moving fabs to Hyderabad (or even Singapore),
>companies like TI, Micron, and Intel are stuck with importing bodies.
>Software, of course, is another matter entirely.
You have obviously never been to Singapore.
Dan Harper
n...@ispchannel.com
"Dan Harper" <dwha...@hiwaay.net> wrote in message
news:3932...@news.nuthinbutnews.com...
Agreed, but surely it's better for the US economy to have a Billion dollar
fab facility built in the US which employs some foreign workers, rather than
building the fab in Singapore and employing almost entirely foreign workers!
--
Nik Simpson
Dan Harper
>Agreed, but surely it's better for the US economy to have a Billion dollar
>fab facility built in the US which employs some foreign workers, rather than
>building the fab in Singapore and employing almost entirely foreign workers!
What is best for the US economy and the American people is free trade.
Dan Harper
n...@ispchannel.com
--
Nik Simpson
Ron Hammon
>
> In article <_nBY4.23$T93....@news1.onlynews.com>, n...@ispchannel.com says...
>
> >Agreed, but surely it's better for the US economy to have a Billion dollar
> >fab facility built in the US which employs some foreign workers, rather than
> >building the fab in Singapore and employing almost entirely foreign workers!
>
> What is best for the US economy and the American people is free trade.
>
Eventully.
--
Ron Hammon (remove the "3", if present, from my address to respond)