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Judd Gregg |
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COMMITTEES |
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New Hampshire |
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Chief
Deputy Whip
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BUDGET |
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WASHINGTON,
DC 20510-1305 |
APPROPRIATIONS |
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Offices |
(202)
224-3324 |
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125 N. Main St. |
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HEALTH,
EDUCATION |
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Concord, NH. 03104 |
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PENSIONS |
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(603) 225-7115 |
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October
12, 2001 |
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Dear
Mr. Y:
Thank
you for contacting my office regarding your opposition to H1-B visas. I
appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
H1-B
visas, as you know, allow domestic technological firms to hire highly
skilled, expert. labor from overseas when these firms cannot find such
specialized labor within the United States I am generally in favor
of increases in H1-B visas because many regions of this country,
including New Hampshire, are experiencing a shortage of high technology
workers and simply cannot fill all of the necessary positions,
In
response to the high demand for qualified information technology
workers, Congress passed S. 2045, the Immigration and Nationality Act,
which was signed into law on October 17, 2000. This law increases the
annual cap on H-1B visas from 115.000 to 195,000 for FY 2000 through FY
2002. I supported enactment of this law, as I feel that it is an
appropriate way to address the needs of our high-tech community. I am
sorry that we disagree on this issue, and I hope there will be issues on
which we can agree in the future. I will, however, keep your concerns in
mind should similar legislation regarding the annual cap on H-1B visas
come before the full Senate for consideration.
Again,
thank you for contacting my office; 1 appreciate the opportunity to
respond to your concerns. If there are other issues of importance to
you, please do not hesitate to get back in touch with me.
JG/erm
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