U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message

[<http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/~senator>]

 <http://feinstein.senate.gov/> 

Dear Mr.: 

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to the
"Immigration Innovation Act of 2013", also known as the "I-Squared Act
of 2013" (S. 169).  I appreciate hearing your perspective, and I
welcome the opportunity to provide my point of view. 

On January 29, 2013, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the
"I-Squared Act of 2013", which would make several changes to the
employment-based visa system for high-skilled immigrants.  For example,
the bill would raise the annual cap on H-1B visas from 65,000 to
115,000 and authorize the recapture of green card numbers unused in the
past.  It would also apply any fees collected for H-1B visas and
employment-based green cards to fund state education and worker
retraining programs in science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) fields.  

The "I-Squared Act of 2013" is currently pending in the Senate
Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member.  I will certainly keep
your opposition in mind should I have the chance to consider this
legislation. 

I share your serious concerns about the loss of U.S. jobs and the
impact of the economic crisis on American workers.  I support tough and
practical reforms of our country's broken immigration system, which I
firmly believe must include protections to ensure that qualified U.S.
workers are hired first and are not displaced by foreign workers. 

For this reason, in February 2009, I voted for an amendment to the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also known as the
stimulus) that prohibits anyone who receives federal funds from hiring
H-1B guest workers (temporary foreign workers in specialized
occupations), unless the employer first proves that U.S. workers could
not be hired.  This provision is now law. 

As you may be aware, on January 28, 2013, a bipartisan group of eight
Senators unveiled a framework for comprehensive immigration reform.  I
am pleased to share with you that this framework seeks to protect
American workers and deter future illegal immigration through the
implementation of an effective and mandatory employment verification
system.  

The bipartisan Senate group's framework also attempts to address the
labor needs of American businesses while ensuring American workers are
not displaced by basing immigration levels on the state of the economy.
It would allow for increased immigration levels when local workers are
not willing or able to fill jobs and decreased immigration levels when
unemployment is high.  

Again, thank you for your letter.  If you have any additional questions
or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch with my Washington,
D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.  

Sincerely yours,

  Dianne Feinstein
         United States Senator