H-1B increase possible in 12 Hours
H-1B increase possible in 12 Hours
Date: Friday, December 08, 2006 3:11 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1604 -- 12/08/2006 >>>>>
It appears that the Skil bill isn't the only H-1B increase being worked on
in Congress. Perhaps the Skil bill has been used as a smokescreen to hide
the main attempt to raise H-1B.
John Boehner (R-OH) is attempting to put an H-1B increase into the India-US
nuclear deal that trades our technology for Indian mangos. Apparently our
nuclear technology isn't enough for India so the U.S. will sweeten the deal
by giving away more of our jobs.
There was no official word on what had held up the legislation,
but reports suggested that House Republican Majority leader
John Boehner, one of nine conferees, wanted an unrelated clause
to increase India's H1-B visa quota to piggy ride on the bill.
Partisan bickering may be the only thing that could stop this H-1B
increase. Sen. Biden (D-DE) doesn't want the Republicans to get the credit
for ramming through an H-1B increase. He wants to wait until the Democrats
take Congress to pass an H-1B bill. Congress is behaving like a bunch of
hyenas that are competing to get the last shreds of rotten flesh from a
dead carcass. The Democrats and Republicans are actually fighting each
other over who gets the credit for an H-1B increase. There is more at stake
than just the pride and prestige of being known as the party that rammed
H-1B down our throats -- the winner probably gets the blessing of Bill
Gates, and the cash for being the victor.
However, Joseph Biden ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, who takes over chairmanship of the panel in
January, declined to oblige saying such issues should be dealt
with by the new Democrat controlled Congress.
The article in the Statesmen was published yesterday. It estimated that the
trade agreement would pass within 36 hours. That might mean late Friday or
early Saturday the betrayal of American labor will have been completed.
The state department official did express confidence that the bill
would be passed within 36 hours and put before the US President
for his signature to turn it into a law and remove three decades
of nuclear trade restrictions on India.
Unfortunately we might not hear anything more until it's a done deal.
The conference bill will not be made public till it is goes to the
rules committee, which will then approve it to be sent to the
floor of the Senate and House for an up or down vote.
All of this is grim news but there is a funny element to it all. If you
haven't seen my spoof "Mangos that Glow in the Dark", it's posted on Google
and Youtube. You might as well laugh while you stand in the food line for
some INDIAN MANGOS.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8129141692646867878&q=mangos+glow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgukFLIzOCw
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http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=166639&usrsess=1
Burns N-Bill hopes & Indias expectations
Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, Dec. 7: The visiting US under-secretary of state, Mr Nicholas
Burns, today said the final bill to be passed by US Congress would be "well
within the parameters of the 18 July understanding".
Addressing the press at a joint briefing along with the foreign secretary,
Mr Shivshankar Menon, Mr Burns said he expected the final bill will
complete its congressional journey in the next 36 hours.
Reports from Washington said the joint conference committee set up to
reconcile the two versions of the enabling version of the Bill had
completed its work. But, overnight, the Republican congressman, Mr John
Boehner, one of the conferees, had tagged a certain provision to the bill
which is not related to the nuclear deal. Sources here said the provision
is probably related to the issuance of H1B visas. The conference bill will
not be made public till it is goes to the rules committee, which will then
approve it to be sent to the floor of the Senate and House for an up
or down vote.
Till late on Tuesday night in India, there were reports that hectic efforts
were on in Washington to remove this roadblock and get the show on the
road, before the 109th Congress adjourns on Friday. The state department
official did express confidence that the bill would be passed within 36
hours and put before the US President for his signature to turn it into a
law and remove three decades of nuclear trade restrictions on India.
In Delhi, Mr Burns had a full day of meetings with the foreign secretary
and the PMs special envoy, Mr Shyam Saran, which discussed the entire
gamut of bilateral relations.
The civil nuclear deal naturally dominated discussions, with Indian
officials keen to learn as much as possible about the shape of the final
bill which may have some controversial sections, especially on support for
US policies to Iran, fuel supply guarantees and annual certifications.
Stating that the administration has not yet taken a look at the final bill,
Mr Burns nevertheless said he expected a "very successful and supportive"
bill. He said there would not be any more surprises, and that it will
support the 18 July 2005 and the 2 March 2006 agreements. "The bill
according to my judgement is well within the parameters," he said.
Mr Shivshankar Menon refused to comment on the possible problematic clauses
for India in the US legislation, stating they will wait to peruse the text
of the final bill.
Sources in MEA said they do not expect to get a final bill that meets all
Indias concerns. "That would be unrealistic, keeping in mind the method
of drawing of legislation in the US," said an official.
Mr Burns said the American establishment was "very respectful" of Indias
sovereign right to decide its foreign policies, but at the same time did
mention that he believed that India was part of the "global mainstream of
opinion" on Iran.
He said the most difficult part of this process was the negotiations in the
last 18 months. "We had tough issues to deal with... There has never been a
deal quite like this," said Mr Burns, describing it as "historic" and a
"liberation of India" from its nuclear isolation of 30 years.
Significantly, he said the US will meet all its commitments
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http://in.news.yahoo.com/061208/211/6a4f9.html
N-Deal: All's Bill that ends well
Enlarge PhotoBy IBNlive.com
Friday December 8, 11:17 AM
New Delhi: The landmark India-US nuclear deal is set to clear the last
hurdle with both the Senate and the House responding to India's concerns
and reporting success in breaking a logjam over a compromise enabling
legislation.
India had raised three broad concerns and they have been suitably addressed
by the US Senate. First, there will be no annual certifications of the deal
by the US President, hence ensuring long-term cooperation.
There shall also be no US inspectors for Indian civilian nuclear facilities
and India will be allowed to get nuclear supplies from third parties, even
if the US stops its supplies.
While there is some language that the Indian Government feels the Bill
could have done without, the good news is that it is limited to the
non-binding sections. However, both Indian and American negotiators will be
pleased that many mandatory sections are now non-binding.
Discriminatory language has been removed and the administration has a more
flexible hand in negotiating the bilateral, 123 agreement with India.
The final bill combining provisions of the two versions is expected to come
up for vote in both the House and Senate on Friday before it goes to
President George Bush to sign it into law and reopen doors for nuclear
commerce between India and United States after 30 years.
"This legislation will allow the United States to engage in peaceful
nuclear cooperation while safeguarding US national security and
non-proliferation efforts, as well as Congressional prerogatives," the four
conference managers stated, commending the new legislation to the Congress.
"It is an opportunity to build a vital strategic partnership with a nation
that shares our democratic values and will exert increasing influence on
the world stage," said Senate and House foreign relations panels
chairpersons Dick Lugar and Henry Hyde and ranking Democrats on the two
panels, Joe Biden and Tom Lantos.
The bill reflects the widely held view in both the House and the Senate
that peaceful nuclear cooperation with India can serve multiple US foreign
policy and national security objectives, but that this must be secured in a
manner that minimises potential risks to the global non-proliferation
regime, they said.
The conference agreement will help solidify New Delhi's commitments to
implement strong export controls, separate its civilian nuclear
infrastructure from its weapons programme, and place additional civilian
facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
An agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation with India would be a
powerful incentive for India to cooperate closely with the United States in
halting proliferation and abstaining from additional tests of nuclear
weapons, they said.
In addressing India's concerns over the Iran issue, the conference changed
the provision making the deal contingent on New Delhi aligning its Iran
policy with that of Washington from a condition to an "expectation".
"The conferees, along with both Houses, place great emphasis on their
expectation that India's full cooperation with efforts by the US and the
international community to prevent Iran from acquiring the capability to
produce nuclear weapons will be forthcoming," the report said.
There was no official word on what had held up the legislation, but reports
suggested that House Republican Majority leader John Boehner, one of nine
conferees, wanted an unrelated clause to increase India's H1-B visa quota
to piggy ride on the bill.
However, Joseph Biden ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, who takes over chairmanship of the panel in January, declined to
oblige saying such issues should be dealt with by the new Democrat
controlled Congress.
The final reconciled version also substantially addresses India's potential
deal breaker concerns over provisions relating to export of nuclear
materials or technology, an end-use monitoring programme and a cooperative
proliferation monitoring mechanism.
Some of the conditions are more suggestive now than prescriptive, analysts
noted. Section 115 of the Senate bill proposing a proliferation monitoring
mechanism for one now only "authorises" the US Energy Secretary to enter
into such an arrangement.
Some in the Indian nuclear establishment saw this as a potentially
mischievous clause that could enable Washington to monitor India's
strategic assets.
Similarly, India's concern about Iran and a couple of other issues have
been addressed by making them presidential reporting requirements rather
than prescriptive sections of the bill.
Section 105(8) in the Senate version of the bill originally required a
determination by the president that India is fully and actively
participating in US and international efforts to dissuade, sanction and
contain Iran for its nuclear programme consistent with United Nations
Security Council resolutions.
Section 106 prohibited the export of any equipment, materials or technology
related to the enrichment of uranium, the processing of spent fuel, or the
production of heavy water, while Section 107 required an end-use monitoring
programme to be carried out with respect to US exports and re-exports of
nuclear materials, equipment and technology sold or leased to India.
But with no voting scheduled on the final piece of legislation by late
Thursday night "it's coming down to the wire" is how State Department
spokesperson Sean McCormack put it.
Asked if US under secretary of state for political affairs, R. Nicholas
Burns, who is Washington's chief negotiator for the India deal, was in New
Delhi because India may have a problem with some provisions of the emerging
legislation, he replied, "Not as far as I know."
"You know that this can be a nerve-wracking process as you go through this.
But this is how democracies work. The Indian government understands that
and we're sure that they appreciate it.
"And he is going there to talk to them about the agreement, how to move
forward on it, as well as how to move forward on the broad arc of our
relationship," McCormack added.
(With CNN-IBN and IANS inputs)
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