Speech #890060336

Immediate family members of U.S. citizens are given first preference without numerical limitation. A new preference class is created for professional persons and persons with unusual skills and talents in the visual and performing arts. A new preference class is created for victims of Communist persecution. which repeals the practice of paroling refugees into the United States. The present fourth preference is divided into two new preference classes. The Celler bill perpetuates the present four preferences in the law. keeping skilled workers as first preference and allotting to that preference a 50percent first call on all authorized visas. Under my bill direct authority is given to the President to use up to 50 percent of the visa numbers not used by the preference classes to remedy any hardships which may fall upon countries as a consequence of immediate repeal of the national origins quota system. and in order to meet refugee emergencies or natural calamities. should they occur. and the President determines action should be taken to assist some of the victims. The Celler bill calla for a 7member immigration board to advise the President on the use of a 30percent reserve of the total immigrant visas authorized to remedy hardships as a consequence of the gradual repeal of the national origins quota system over a 5year period. Also. it provides for the use of a 10percent reserve to meet refugee emergencies and natural calamities. Further. my bill calls for new safeguards for American workers by strengthening control of the Secretary of Labor on nonpreference Immigrr.tion. That appcars in section 203. subsection 8. of the bill which I introduced. H.R. This means that the Secretary of Labor must make an affirmative finding that the jobs that nonpreference immigrants will take in the United States will not deprive any American worker of those jobs. The Celler bill provides no such safeguards for American workers. My bill also would wipe out in the first year all waiting lists in the four preference classes of the present law.