Calif. Assembly urges federal government to investigate H-1B abuses

Source: Sacramento Bee

The California Assembly loves immigrants – as long as businesses aren’t using them to displace American jobs.

... The Assembly spent part of Monday passing a resolution declaring June Immigrant Heritage month and praising the contributions of foreign-born Californians. ... After passing the immigrant-honoring resolution, Assembly members advanced a labor-backed resolution urging the federal government to investigate alleged abuses of the H-1B visa program.

Intended for immigrants workers in specialty occupations, the H-1B visa has attracted criticism and congressional calls for scrutiny amid reports of U.S. companies like Southern California Edison and Disney using the program to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor. The latest draft of Assembly Joint Resolution 12, which was sponsored by the Coalition of California Utility Employees, omitted initial references to Southern California Edison, which has denied the outsourcing allegations.

“This program was created to provide businesses with foreign workers who have skill sets that cannot be obtained here in our country, not to displace hardworking Americans,” said Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25786237.html