Jay Inslee Kowtowing in India - Part 2
Jay Inslee Kowtowing in India - Part 2
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2003 1:58 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
Inslee is kowtowing all over India. He had better be sure to drink a
lot of water because licking so many boots could dehydrate his mouth.
As you can see, the Indian press is very happy with Inslee's assurances
that Indian businesses will continue to be favored over the interests
of American workers. He even promised that there will be no change in
the H-1B visa system.
India and China, like most countries that want to surpass our economy,
require the U.S. to have open border immigration policies if they are
to allow our companies to sell products in their country. These
countries say it's a trade: we will allow you to sell products in our
country if you allow us to send our enormous populations to your
country. Politicians like Inslee are more than happy to oblige:
Mr Inslee said that Americans could not hope to sell
Microsoft products and Boeing airplanes in India
unless reciprocal access was given to India and Indians.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=35209
Convergence
L1 Norms Security-related, Says US Congressman Inslee
OUR eFE BUREAU
Mumbai: The stringent norms currently applied to the L1 visa are due
to concerns on security for the country and not related to outsourcing
according to US Congressman Jay Inslee of the House of Representatives.
Mr Inslee, who is on a visit to India, was addressing a discussion on
Globalisation and business process outsourcing: Win Win for Indian and
the US, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in
Mumbai.
Mr Inslee said that there have been serious concerns regarding security
in the US post-September 11, which was why there were changes in the
policy. Personal interviews are now required and there is a high level
of scrutiny regarding the validity of the L1 visa. He indicated that
the status of the H1-B visa would, however, remain unchanged.
This protectionist attitude, Mr Inslee explained, was on account of the
9/11 terrorist attacks and recession. He was hopeful that this feeling
in the US would be overwhelmed by the growing need for linking with
Indian economy and tapping its manpower and intellectual capital.
Trade, he said by necessity is a two way street and both must find
different ways of growing the economy together.
Mr Inslee said that Americans could not hope to sell Microsoft products
and Boeing airplanes in India unless reciprocal access was given to
India and Indians.
He also said that the Indian market, to its credit, has kept open the
technology market and hoped that the Indian government takes a neutral
stand between the various technologies namely open source.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=35143
Front Page
Anti-outsourcing Bills Wont Make It
OUR eFE BUREAU
New Delhi: Bills on banning outsourcing of low-cost work to
developing nations by some states in the US were unlikely to become
law, according to Congressman Jay Inslee, US House of Representatives.
Mr Inslee, who is on his visit to India, was addressing a discussion on
Globalisation and business process outsourcing: Win Win for Indian and
the US, organised by CII (Confederation of Indian Industry).
There are a lot of bills that are introduced but 99 per cent of these
fail to pass through all the stages. As far as the bill on banning
outsourcing is concerned, it has just been introduced and it is
unlikely to reach other stages before becoming a law, Mr Inslee said. A
bill before becoming a law in the any of the states in the US has to
pass through the introduction stage, hearing and re-hearing stage
followed by voting and veto stage.
He pointed out that governments should not come in the way of trade
between two countries by creating artificial trade barriers.
US and India need to be politically engaged to resolve any barrier on
trade at ground level as the two economies need each other in terms of
market as well as for resources, he said.
Congressman Inslee is a part of the Congressional Caucus on India. He
serves the Democratic Advisory Group on high-tech issues and the
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee.
Protectionism is not the way Americans do trade, he said.
http://sify.com/news/international/fullstory.php?id=13159378&dd=29&mm=5
Mumbai: A visiting US congressman said that Washington's review of visa
policy was not aimed at hitting India's IT industry.
Jay Inslee said the review of visa policy, which has gained wide
attention in the Indian media, was focused on ensuring security.
"The review is because of increased security concerns and also we have
found that some parties are misusing the L1 visa for which stringency
needs to be adopted," Inslee told business leaders in Mumbai.
"There are concerns in the US that L1 visas be used for proper purposes
rather than illicit practices. So some changes are being made to see
these visas are used judiciously," said Inslee, whose district includes
the headquarters of Microsoft.
L1 visas are issued for periods of up to 10 years and are often used by
Indian software workers travelling to the United States for onsite
work.
Leading Indian software companies such as Infosys, Wipro and Tata
Consultancy earn around half of their revenue from such onsite work or
outsourcing.
"Today US lawmakers in some states have become sensitive as Americans
are losing jobs due to the slowdown. But otherwise we do not advocate a
ban on services offered by other countries," Inslee said.
The State Department earlier this month announced that US diplomats
would interview nearly all visa applicants in person in a bid to weed
out potential terrorists.
One bill before the US Congress would prohibit software companies from
sending in foreign professionals for onsite work.
Such measures have drawn wide condemnation in the Indian media, coming
in the wake of the detention in March of 12 Indian IT employees in the
Netherlands and hundreds more in Malaysia for alleged visa
irregularities.
http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/may/29bpo.htm
Outsourcing Bill may not be passed: US Congressman
| PTI | May 29, 2003 | 20:45 IST
US Senate may not pass the new Bill, which sought to prevent Indian
companies from posting their employees on clients' location in that
country, according to Congressman Jay Inslee.
"The Bill has only been introduced, but I doubt whether it will become
a law at all, as it has to pass through a number of stages before
getting a final clearance," Inslee told reporters on Thursday on the
sidelines of a summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry
in Mumbai.
The new visa Bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives on
May 19, which seeks to prevent a non-US citizen (an intra-company
transferee) for working with a company, other than his employer. This
also means that an employee cannot be deployed to the employer's client
sites.
"We cannot engage in protectionism in the US and at the same time
expect to sell Microsoft and Boeing products in India. I don't believe
the US should have a visa policy that slows down economic growth,"
Inslee said.
Talking on the stringent measures taken before issuing an L1 visa, the
Congressman said this was more due to security concerns and doesn't
reflect any fear doing rounds in the US.
"The September 9/11 incidents had prompted the US government to
exercise caution in granting visas. However, no major legislative
changes have been recommended", he said.
"The stringent measures, including new visa interview for L1 visas, are
to ascertain the legitimacy of employment relation with the employee
and the employer," he added.
However, talking on the H-1 visas, Inslee said that there would not be
any change in the existing policies and added, "there is no reason for
changing the existing structure".
Allaying fears on the recent bills, the Congressman said outsourcing
bills were limited to just four states in the US and none of the bills
had become a law. "India and US have a lot in common and we have to
grow together," he said.
Meanwhile, addressing a seminar on 'Globalisation and Business Process
Outsourcing: Win-Win for India and United States' organised by the CII,
Inslee said that the government should not enforce technology, instead
must allow the market to choose it.
"The Indian government should be technology neutral and allow the
market to decide the kind of software that should be used in India like
it is in the US and UK," he said.
The Congressman, however, said that protection of intellectual property
was the need of the hour and added that around 65 per cent of all
software were a victim of intellectual property theft.
CII Maharashtra chairman Sudhir M Tehran admitted that a few Indian
companies had misused L1 visas, and urged the US government to weigh
the pros and cons before passing the bill.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG5_sub.asp?ccode=ENG5&newscode=8791
Thursday, May 29, 2003
Bills curbing outsourcing would not become law: US Congressman
New Delhi, May 28 (UNI) Most of the bills in various American state
legislatures seeking to curb outsourcing would not become law, US
Congressman and Member of India Caucas Jay Inslee said today, allaying
apprehensions of Indian IT community over the issue.
Mr Inslee, who represents Washington State in House of Representatives,
claimed that he did not know of a bill seeking curbs on outsourcing
pending in the legislature of the state he comes from.
''More than 99 per cent of the ideas put forth by members of elected
bodies do not become law. That Bill (in Washington legislature) is not
going anywhere,'' he said in his address to the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII).
According to reports, bills are pending in four American states of New
Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut and Washington seeking to curb
outsourcing.
Mr Inslee assured Indian businessmen that this kneejerk reaction by
some would not overwhelm America. ''It does not represent a
protectionist wave.'' The Congressman said Indian companies need to
engage in dialogue with the American political community to put at rest
any apprehensions that the Indian companies are taking away jobs in
their community.
''Services of Indian American community should be utilised for the
job,'' he said.
''Trade issues are complex and require extensive debate,'' Mr Inslee
said.
He assured Indian businessmen that he would work for expediting visa
processes for frequent business travellers to US.
''After September 11 there has been a tremendous change in American
psyche. There is an increased awareness of the outside world. We know
that if any part of the World remains underdeveloped and without hope
it can pose a threat to America. We want to work with the world,'' Mr
Inslee said.
''We want India to grow economically so that it can buy more of our
products and services,'' he said.
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