[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E778]]
INTRODUCTION OF THE AMERICAN COMPETITIVENESS AND WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT 
                                  ACT

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                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 1999

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a bill to amend 
the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act. The 
legislation would simply extend the filing fee exemption fee to all 
elementary and secondary schools.
  The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act increased 
the number of H1-B visas available over a series of years. This 
legislation also called for a $500 fee to be paid by the employer to 
file their H1-B visa application. However, this act also contained a 
provision that exempted institutes of higher education, non-profit 
research groups, and governmental research institutes from paying the 
filing fee. The exemption was afforded to these groups to help offset 
the cost of trying to employ talented workers from abroad.
  I represent part of Houston, Texas. Back home my wife is an algebra 
teacher in Aldine High School. She recently told me of their teacher 
recruiting efforts. The Aldine Independent School District is much like 
other district on or near the border. These school districts are 
constantly searching for talented, experienced teachers for our 
children. School districts on or near the border will even try to 
recruit teachers from abroad, who are experienced, bilingual, and who 
would be a great addition to any school's staff.
  The legislation I just introduced would extend the filing fee 
exemption to all of our schools and will give them the opportunity to 
recruit the most educated, talented, and experienced teachers for our 
students. By offsetting the cost of the application, our elementary and 
secondary schools could look to find the best teachers or specialists, 
and they could use the $500 filing fee to provide other education 
services for our schools.

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