A bipartisan pair of senators, Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley and Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin, have reintroduced legislation to overhaul the nation’s high-tech visa program, providing an opportunity for the incoming Trump administration to demonstrate where its agenda overlaps with the Democrats’.
“Congress created these programs to complement America’s high-skilled workforce, not replace it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programs by cutting American workers for cheaper labor. We need programs dedicated to putting American workers first,” Grassley said. “Our bill takes these steps to ensure that the programs work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike.”
The legislation would target companies that import large numbers of high-skilled workers under the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The bill would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees from hiring additional H-1B employees if half of the current employees are H-1B or L-1 program holders. It also would penalize companies that import workers for training under those programs and them send them back to their home countries to do outsourced jobs.
Grassley and Durbin’s legislation would give the Department of Labor additional power to investigate employers that use the visa programs and enhances penalities for violations. It would require the department to gather broad statistical data about the programs, including wages, worker education, place of employment and gender.
“Reforming the H-1B and L-1 visa programs is a critical component of fixing our broken immigration system and must be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation. For years, foreign outsourcing companies have used loopholes in the laws to displace qualified American workers and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs,” Durbin said.
Reforming the high-tech visa program has been a priority for Grassley and Durbin for at least a decade.
