[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H3224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FAIRNESS FOR HIGH-SKILLED IMMIGRANTS ACT

  (Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my support 
for H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, introduced 
by Congresswoman Lofgren. This bipartisan legislation will help ease 
green card backlogs for those facing the longest wait times and help 
our businesses retain the high-skilled staff they need to be 
competitive.
  Last month, I sat down with Sunayana Dumala, who shared her story 
with me.
  It was only 2 years ago that our community was devastated when 
Sunayana's husband, Srinivas, was murdered in a hate crime in Olathe, 
Kansas. My predecessor helped her obtain a temporary visa, but she 
still faces a potentially decades-long wait to gain citizenship. This 
is because, with him gone, her status was at risk.
  These green card backlogs need to be resolved. Sunayana is not alone. 
Many people have applied for permanent residency and are stuck in long 
backlogs for green cards.
  H.R. 1044 creates a fair and equitable first-come, first-served 
system, helping to even out green card lines and helping to prevent 
excessive backlogs for folks like Sunayana. It allows U.S. companies to 
focus on what they do best: hiring people with the right skills to 
create products, services, and jobs.
  This is a piece of a larger, more comprehensive reform needed to fix 
our broken immigration system.

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