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To: Mohan Marette who wrote (5445)	8/4/1999 11:15:00 AM
From: Mohan Marette	Respond to of 12475

Senators push for more work visas Even with backing from tech companies, GOP backers likely face an uphill battle By Andrew J. Glass American-Statesman Washington Staff Published: Aug. 4, 1999 WASHINGTON -- If key Senate Republicans have their way, the number of temporary work visas for skilled foreigners would rise by nearly 75 percent in each of the next three years. But despite strong backing from the high-tech industry, whose clout with Congress is on the rise, the effort to once more expand the visa program faces an uncertain fate on Capitol Hill. "The firms in my state are desperate for highly skilled workers," Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, told reporters Tuesday at a news conference held by 11 Republican senators to review their high-tech agenda. According to the American Electronics Association, Texas gained 102,000 high-tech jobs from 1990 to 1997, the most of any state. "This program," Gramm added, "is aimed at keeping the best graduate students and undergraduates in the country." Gramm has been joined in the push to increase the number of the so-called H1-B visas by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi and Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Under their legislation, the annual H1-B quota would be raised to 200,000 from the current level of 115,000, which was exhausted June 15, more than three months before the end of the federal fiscal year. To attain passage, the Republican leaders will probably seek to attach the visa increase as a rider to a pending appropriations bill. But their strategy may not work. Despite historically low jobless rates, organized labor groups are likely to campaign for a presidential veto. And not all Republicans are happy with the visa expansion plan. "I am concerned that many H-1B visa numbers are being obtained on the basis of fraudulent applications, thereby disadvantaging employers who use these visas legitimately," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, wrote on May 26 to Doris Meissner, head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Smith, who chairs a House Immigration Subcommittee, intends to hold a hearing on the H1-B issue Thursday. "Last year, there was a bruising fight, and there's a question whether Congress will want to face the issue again," said David Byer, vice president of government affairs at the Software and Information Industry Association. "I think it's appropriate that others take the lead on this issue this year," said Sen. Spencer Abraham, R-Mich., who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration. Abraham served as the chief sponsor of last year's measure, which increased the number of visas available this year and next from 65,000 to 115,000. He faces a tough re-election battle next year in Michigan, which has a strong labor constituency. The program permits foreigners with specialized skills to work three years in the United States for a sponsoring company. That period may be extended for an additional three years. Employers must show that they could not find American workers to do the same job and prove that the foreign workers have a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. The employer is required to pay a $500 fee for each new worker. The fee, which yields about $75 million a year, is designated to pay for training and educational programs for U.S. workers. (From an Associated Press report provided by the Austin American-Statesman.)