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Voted against worker protections in committee in 2000
Rep. Barr voted as part of the House Judiciary Committee AGAINST the Smith/Jackson Lee/Goodlatte Amendment to H.R.4227. This amendment required that the worker protections from the 1998 AICWA (H-1B) bill be in effect by September 1, 2000. These are important worker protections that were included in the 1998 H-1B increase bill, but have yet to be put into effect. The amendment passed 24-7.
Voted against minority hiring and recruitment in 2000
Rep. Barr voted AGAINST the Waters amendment to H.R.4227. This amendment would have required corporations to show some level of hiring and recruitment among Blacks and Hispanics, or the H-1B program would be shut down. The amendment was defeated 12-17.
Voted in 1998 to allow firms to lay off Americans
to make room for foreign workers
Before the House passed the H-1B doubling bill (H.R.3736), Rep. Barr had an opportunity to vote for a Watt Substitute bill that would have forbidden U.S. firms from using temporary foreign workers to replace Americans. Rep. Barr opposed that protection. The substitute also would have required U.S. firms to check a box on a form attesting that they had first sought an American worker for the job. Rep. Barr voted against that. The protections for American workers fell 33 votes short of passing.
Tried to create massive new foreign agriculture
worker program in 1996
Rep. Barr voted IN FAVOR of the Pombo Amendment to H.R.2202. He was voting for a massive new program that would have allowed agri-business to import up to 250,000 foreign farm workers each year for a period of service of less than a year. A bi-partisan congressional commission working with the Bush Administration (1989-93) had concluded that there were at least 190,000 farm workers already in America who were out of work at any given time. The federal commission said the oversupply of farmworkers was a major reason why farm workers’ real incomes had fallen by almost half over the previous two decades. Rep. Barr rejected the recommendations of the commission and took the side of growers who asked for a larger labor supply. The amendment -- which had no provisions for ensuring that the temporary workers did not stay in the U.S. as illegal aliens -- failed by a 180-242 vote.
Tried to continue foreign nurse guestworker program in 1996
Rep. Barr supported continuing a guestworker program for foreign nurses through his vote IN FAVOR of the Burr Amendment to H.R.2202. Those favoring the amendment said many rural areas had a shortage of nurses and needed the foreign workers. The 262-154 majority, however, let the foreign nurses program end, contending that there are more than enough Americans trained in nursing to do the job if the pay and working conditions are appropriate.
Opposed mandatory workplace verification programs in 1996
Rep. Barr voted AGAINST the Gallegly Amendment to H.R.2202. That amendment would have made pilot workplace verification programs (see above) mandatory in five of the top seven immigration states. The amendment failed 86-331 under complaints that businesses and states should have more choice in whether to participate in programs to keep illegal aliens from taking jobs.
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