[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                               H-IB VISAS

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I would like to also speak now about 
the H-1B bill on the floor.
  I ask unanimous consent that I have 10 minutes to speak on that 
legislation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Smith of Oregon). Without objection, it is 
so ordered.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. I will not speak a long time. But I 
want to raise a couple of issues that other colleagues have spoken to 
as well.
  I come from a State with a very sophisticated high-tech industry. I 
come from a State that has an explosion of information technology 
companies. I come from a State that has a great medical device 
industry. I come from a State that is leading the way.
  I am very sympathetic to the call on the part of business communities 
to be able to get more help from skilled labor, including skilled 
workers from other countries. I am more than sympathetic to what the 
business community is saying. I certainly believe that immigrants--men 
and women from other countries who help businesses and work, who stay 
in our country--make our country a richer and better country.
  I am the son of a Jewish immigrant who was born in Ukraine and who 
fled persecution from Russia. But I also believe that it is a crying 
shame that we do not have the opportunity--again, this is the greatness 
of the Senate--to be able to introduce some amendments: an amendment 
that would focus on education and job training and skill development 
for Americans who could take some of these jobs; an amendment that 
deals with telework that is so important to rural America, and so 
important to rural Minnesota.
  I hope there is some way I can get this amendment and this piece of 
legislation passed, which basically would employ people in rural 
communities, such as some of the farmers who lost their farms, who have 
a great work ethic, who want to work, and who want to have a chance to 
develop their skills for the technology companies that say they need 
skilled workers. They can telework. They can do it from home or 
satellite offices. It is a marriage made in heaven. I am hoping to 
somehow still pass that legislation. I hope it will be an amendment on 
this bill because, again, it would enable these Americans to have a 
chance.
  My colleague from New Mexico is one of the strongest advocates for 
Native Americans. This was such an interesting meeting this past Sunday 
in Minnesota. I give FCC Chairman Kennard a lot of credit for holding a 
3-day workshop for people in Indian country who not only don't have 
access to the Internet but who still don't have phones. They were 
talking about guest workers and others coming to our country. These 
were the first Americans. They were saying: we want to be a part of 
this new economy; we want to have a chance to learn the skills. We want 
to be wired. We want to have the infrastructure.
  I hope there can be an amendment that speaks to the concerns and 
circumstances of people in Indian country.
  Finally, I think the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act is important 
for not only the Latino community but also for the Liberian community. 
I am worried about the thousands of Liberians in Minnesota who at the 
end of the month maybe will have to leave this country if we don't have 
some kind of change. This legislation calls for permanent residency 
status for them. But I am terribly worried they are going to be forced 
to go back. It would be very dangerous for them and their families. I 
certainly think there is a powerful, moral, and ethical plan for the 
Latino and Latina community in this legislation. We had hoped that 
would be an amendment. Again, it doesn't look as if we are going to 
have an opportunity to present this amendment. I don't think that is 
the Senate at its best.
  I will vote for cloture on a bill that I actually think is a good 
piece of legislation but not without the opportunity for us to consider 
some of these amendments. They could have time limits where we could 
try to improve this bill. We can make sure this is good for the 
business community and good for the people in our country who want to 
have a chance to be a part of this new economy, as well as bringing in 
skilled workers from other countries. I think we could do all of it. It 
could be a win-win-win.
  The Senate is at its best when we can bring these amendments to the 
floor and therefore have an opportunity to represent people in our 
States and be legislators. But when we are shut down and closed out, 
then I think Senators have every right to say we can't support this. 
That is certainly going to be my position.
  I yield the floor.

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