May 21, 2013
WASHINGTON: Leading senators working to resolve a key issue on US immigration legislation have agreed to a compromise covering expansion of a high-tech visa programme, officials said Tuesday, resolving one of two major hurdles to committee passage of the landmark bill.
May 21, 2013
WASHINGTON: Leading senators working to resolve a key issue on US immigration legislation have agreed to a compromise covering expansion of a high-tech visa programme, officials said Tuesday, resolving one of two major hurdles to committee passage of the landmark bill.
The deal negotiated by Sens Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and Orrin Hatch, a Republican, aimed to resolve the interests of the high-tech industry, which relies increasingly on skilled foreign workers, and organized labor, which represents American workers.
The officials who confirmed the agreement did so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of an official announcement.
At its core, the legislation would provide an opportunity of US citizenship to millions of immigrants living in the country illegally, create a new visa programme for low-skilled workers and permit a sizable increase in the number of high-tech visas, at the same time it mandates new measures to crack down on future unlawful immigration.
Final committee approval is expected by midweek, with the full Senate likely to begin debate next month.
The measure is one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities, although the administration has generally let the committee work on its own.
As drafted, the bill would raise the current cap on so-called H-1B visas for highly skilled workers from 65,000 annually to 110,000, with the possibility of a further rise to 180,000. The legislation also included new protections designed to ensure American workers get the first shot at jobs, and high-tech firms objected to some of those constraints.
Hatch, whose western state of Utah, has a large high-tech industry, championed their cause. Schumer, an author of the bill, worked to satisfy in his concerns. In exchange, Hatch told reporters Monday he would commit to supporting the overall legislation when it comes to a vote in committee, lending it important Republican support.
The deal disclosed on Tuesday modifies several amendments Hatch introduced on high-tech visas, including limiting some of the bill's protections for US workers to companies that are more heavily dependent on H-1B visas. That would exclude many major US firms.
However, the AFL-CIO labor federation said it had not agreed to the deal, and it appeared possible that the measure would move forward without the labor union's support for that piece of it.
On the other major remaining unresolved issue, gay marriage, officials said there was a growing if unspoken expectation that the measure would likely emerge from committee without a provision granting same-sex spouses the same access to legal status as heterosexual spouses are entitled to.
Sen Patrick Leahy, the Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, has introduced a proposal to give equal treatment under the bill to same-sex couples, a provision gay rights groups seek. Several lobbyists and others noted during the day Monday that he had not said definitively that he would seek a vote on it before the panel completes its work, and neither the White House nor other Democrats on the committee have made a strong push for its inclusion.
Two people familiar with the deliberations said the White House had suggested to Leahy that it would be best to put off the controversy until bill goes before the full Senate. The people were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and insisted on anonymity.
A vote on the proposal could create political difficulty for Democrats on the committee who support gay rights and are also members of the so-called Gang of Eight, which negotiated the main features of the legislation. That includes Schumer and Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat.
Durbin has told outside groups he will back the change if it is offered. Schumer has not said which way he would vote.
All eight authors of the bill have pledged to maintain the essential outlines of the legislation. A vote to add the gay rights provision could lead to approval on a party-line vote in committee, but lead to the collapse of Republican support on the Senate floor and the bill's demise.
In addition, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by early July that could render the issue largely moot.
Courtesy: AFP
