Rep. Giffords (D-AZ) to author new H-1B increase bill
Rep. Giffords (D-AZ) to author new H-1B increase bill
Date: Saturday, December 01, 2007 1:10 AM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1790 -- 11/30/2007 >>>>>
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) announced that she will introduce new
legislation to raise the H-1B cap. Her proposal sounds somewhat like the
STRIVE bill, although details are too sketchy to determine exactly what she
has in mind. One thing for sure though, she wants to raise the cap to 180,000
per year!
In the second article included at the end of this commentary a public hearing
was announced between Giffords and corporate officials from a company called
Breault Research Organization Inc. It seems the purpose of the meeting was to
preach to the choir about the need for more H-1Bs.
Giffords certainly didn't go out of her way to seek input from anyone besides
corporate executives, although the meeting did seem to be open to the public.
I didn't even know about the hearing until it was too late to attend.
To give the Programmer's Guild credit, they offered to defray me for my travel
costs from Phoenix to Tucson to go to the hearing, but I just could arrange to
go in such short notice. I want to publicly thank Kim Berry of the
Programmer's Guild for making that offer.
I haven't heard from anyone in Arizona that attended, so apparently I wasn't
the only one kept in the dark about what was transpiring. It's not as if
Giffords would have a difficult time finding an alternate opinion -- I was
quoted in an article that appeared in April that featured Breault's shortage
shouting. In case you didn't guess I never received an invitation to attend.
Click this link to read the April article:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/48872.php
Visa shortage hurting S. Ariz.'s high-tech firms
Giffords appears to be a typical aristocrat who is only interested in feedback
from corporate plutocrats. This sentence from the first article below is very
telling:
Giffords said she will gather feedback from employers and
introduce a visa reform bill before the new year.
Rep. Giffords replaced Kolbe in the last election. If you recall, Kolbe,
Flake, and McCain were often called the "Three Stooges from Arizona"
because they authored the precursor to the McCain/Kennedy comprehensive
immigration bill. To see a caricature of the stooges, click this link:
http://www.jobdestruction.info/ShameH1B/images/humor/threestooges.jpg
There is more to the Giffords announcement than meets the eye. Apparently she
is sock puppet for CompeteAmerica, who started yet another lobbying campaign
to increase H-1B.
Compete America, a high-tech industry coalition, sent a letter to
every member of Congress Wednesday urging lawmakers to increase
the cap on H-1B visas for highly educated foreign workers before
the end of the year.
Giffords wasted no time in pandering to CompeteAmerica. She doesn't seem as
sanguine when it comes to conversing with her constituents. I'm not in her
district but H-1B is an issue that affects all of Arizona as well as the
entire nation.
I wrote a short essay about my take on the Randy Graf story. It follows the
three articles below. Just scroll to the end of this newsletter to read it.
I guarantee that you won't be bored even though the story is very local in
nature.
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http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/213840
Published: 11.29.2007
Giffords pushing for boost in high-tech-worker visas By Becky Pallack ARIZONA
DAILY STAR
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday announced her plan to reform a
visa program for short-term, high-tech workers.
Addressing a group of 40 optics-industry leaders and employees at Breault
Research Organization Inc., the Arizona Democrat said there aren't enough
visas available to help high-tech companies quickly fill vacancies for skilled
workers.
The 65,000 available H-1B visas this year were all taken the first day
applications were accepted, she said.
"We're capping our ability to lead worldwide" in the high-tech industries,
Giffords said.
Her plan has three main components:
Increase the number of available H-1B visas to 130,000 and up to 180,000
later. She chose those caps because they are "palatable" for most lawmakers,
she said.
Remove the cap for certain categories of workers: those who have a master's
or doctoral degree from a university in the U.S. in science, math, engineering
or technology who also have a job offer in hand when applying for a visa. This
component allows the market to determine the number of visas needed, Giffords
said.
Allow up to 20,000 foreign graduates in those fields who have job offers.
More than half of engineering doctorates from U.S. colleges are awarded to
foreign nationals who return to their countries after graduation, often
because they can't secure a visa to work here, Giffords said.
Bob Breault, chairman of Breault Research, said he has hired H-1B workers in
the past, but he didn't apply this year because "there wasn't a prayer"
to get one of the 65,000 available. He said that number is arbitrary, called
the visa rules nonsensical and said he backs Giffords' plan.
High-tech companies in Arizona added 800 jobs last year, for a total of
111,600 jobs statewide, Giffords said.
"These are good-paying jobs," she said.
Giffords said it is a misconception that H-1B visas take jobs away from
American workers.
"Most of these jobs can't be filled," she said. "It's really a brewing
crisis."
Breault said he has had five positions vacant for five months because there
aren't enough workers to go around, so companies are "competing for
brainpower."
Giffords said the America Competes Act, signed into law in August, provides
funding to better educate more American students in science, math, technology
and engineering. That will increase the local labor pool for high-tech
employees in the long term, she said.
Giffords said she will gather feedback from employers and introduce a visa
reform bill before the new year.
? Contact reporter Becky Pallack at 573-4224 or at bpallack@azstarnet.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071127006550&newsLang=en
November 27, 2007 09:35 PM Eastern Time U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to
Discuss High-Tech Visa Reform Legislation at Optical Engineering Firm Breault
Research TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will
visit Tucson-based optical software and engineering firm Breault Research
Organization, Inc. on Wednesday to meet with leaders of Southern Arizona s
growing high-technology industry and discuss possible visa reforms enabling
competition in the 21st Century global marketplace.
The meeting will take place at Breault Research Organization, a 30-year-old
firm that has been recognized by Gov. Janet Napolitano for excellence in
technology development. Breault Research has 50 employees and sells its
products in 35 countries.
H-1B visas are critically important to firms such as Breault Research to
remain innovative and globally competitive. Nationally, more that 60 percent
of H-1B visas are held by workers in computers, science, engineering, and
medical positions. More than 40 percent of H-1B visa workers possess graduate
or doctorate degrees.
This year, the United States capped new H-1B visas at approximately 65,000,
not nearly enough to meet industry demands. The cap was hit on the first day
applications were accepted, meaning that much-needed, well-educated high-tech
workers were not available to U.S. companies.
Giffords, a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, will outline
several H-1B visa reform ideas and solicit comments and suggestions from the
executives. The Tucson lawmaker is planning to introduce legislation in
December that accurately reflects industry needs.
WHAT: Discussion and Press Conference at Breault Research Organization
WHEN: 11:45 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 28
WHERE: 6400 E Grant Road, Suite 350, Tucson, AZ 85715
About Breault Research Organization (BRO)
Breault Research Organization (BRO) is an optical engineering firm of global
reach and reputation. BRO's optical software products help engineers turn
creative visions into working prototypes, and the company's own engineers work
on beyond-state-of-the-art projects for Fortune 500 companies, research
institutions, and top government labs. In nearly three decades of innovation,
BRO has contributed to the success of engineering projects for thousands of
clients. BRO has been recognized by the director of the US Patent and
Trademark Office for export achievements, received Wells Fargo Copper Cactus
Awards for Best Place to Work and Community Service, and been commended by
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano for excellence in technology development.
BRO is a company steadfastly committed to innovation and the success of its
clients.
Contacts
Arizona s 8th Congressional District
C.J. Karamargin
Communications Director
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
520-881-3588 or 520-940-4240
cj.karamargin@mail.house.gov
or
Breault Research Organization, Inc.
Michael Stevenson
Marketing Director
520-721-0500 voice x189
mstevenson@breault.com
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http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/immigration/entries/2007/11/28/high_tech_industry_asks_congre.html
Home > The Border Line > Archives > 2007 > November > 28 > Entry
High tech industry asks Congress for more H-1B visas as clock ticks By Eunice
Moscoso | Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 04:39 PM
Compete America, a high-tech industry coalition, sent a letter to every member
of Congress Wednesday urging lawmakers to increase the cap on H-1B visas for
highly educated foreign workers before the end of the year.
"At a time when other nations are aggressively taking steps to improve their
own competitive position, the United States is failing to do so by sustaining
a highly-skilled visa system that turns away future innovators,"
the group said. "We should not take our position as the world s innovation
leader for granted, and our visa system should better reflect the realities of
today s global environment. "
The letter urges lawmakers "to keep this issue at the top of your list."
The number of H-1B visas allowed by law has fluctuated in recent years in
response to the U.S. economy and the highs and lows of the technology industry
and is now set by Congress at 65,000. In addition, 20,000 more foreign
citizens with advanced degrees from American universities are allowed to stay
in work in the United States.
Critic say that the H-1B program depresses wages for American workers and has
many flaws including limited enforcement mechanisms.
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The Story of Randy Graf's defeat by the Republican National Committee by Rob
Sanchez
The story about how Rep. Giffords won the 2004 election for Arizona
Representative is a telling example of just how much of a joke the two party
system has become.
Giffords occupies the seat that was vacated by Rep. Kolbe. Remember the three
stooges -- Kolbe, Flake, and McCain? They wrote the precursor to the
McCain/Kennedy bill.
Kolbe decided not to run again so the seat was up for grabs. Randy Graf on the
Republican side ran against Gabrielle Giffords, a very liberal democrat.
Randy Graf is at least as tough as Tancredo on immigration if not more so.
I have talked to him several times and he is one of the rare politicians who
understands the H-1B program enough to know that it needs to be abolished.
Graf's stance on immigration was his undoing, because the RNC didn't want to
lose Kolbe's seat to someone that potentially could become another Tom
Tancredo. In a move that shocked Arizona Republicans the RNC pulled the plug
on Graf's campaign by taking away its funding. An unholy alliance was formed
between the RNC and DNC to run a vicious attack campaign against Graf.
It's interesting to note that Graf is a model Republican conservative on most
issues but that wasn't enough to save him from the wrath of the neo-cons in
the RNC. Graf ran afoul of the party's ruling elites because of what they
consider the most important issue of all -- IMMIGRATION! Orders came directly
from the Bush administration to the RNC to snuff out the Graf campaign. It was
a reprehensible example of dirty politics in action.
Arizona Democrats and the RNC were joined by others to rout Graf. Some of
anti-Graf mob included the entire mainstream media in Arizona, the business
community supported by the Chamber of Commerce, activist groups such as La
Raza and the ACLU, and Mexican radicals who taunted him with labels like
"Jingo Gringo".
Graf's conservative platform didn't win him any friends in the large gay
community in that district of Tucson, which is Arizona's example of San
Francisco. Kolbe's gay lifestyle has a lot to do with his victory as a
Republican so their switch to supporting a liberal Democrat was a no-brainer.
The RNC pulled the plug on Graf so late in the game it was difficult to
marshal forces to help him. FAIR pitched in to help Graf but it was too little
too late. Local activists such as the Minutemen scrambled to help the Graf
campaign but couldn't turn the tide in time to save the election.
Unfortunately Graf couldn't overcome his detractors and that costed him the
election.
The open-borders liberals and the cheap-labor conservatives won two huge
victories in Arizona when they replaced Kolbe with Giffords and Hayworth with
Mitchell. Rumor has it that the RNC removed funding for Hayworth's campaign in
much the same fashion as they in Graf's case.
Morale of this story: Keeping our borders open is so important to the neo-cons
in the Bush administration and the RNC that they would rather cede
Congressional seats to liberal democrats than to risk sending Republicans to
Washington DC that might actually do something to reform immigration and to
tighten our borders. Despite anything you hear from Democrats or Republicans,
there is one issue they are totally united on: keeping our borders open. The
neo-cons won't think twice about crushing anyone who gets in their way.
The Randy Graf story is a cruel lesson for anyone who is considering running
for office on a tough-on-immigration platform. It demonstrates how our two
party system has been totally subverted.
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