Speech #970273220

The current H2 temporary worker program is a small program designed to meet the legitimate shortterm labor needs of employers. Regulations were promulgated by the Secretary of Labor over the past 20 years to protect the domestic work force from adverse impacts resulting from the influx of alien workers under the H2 program. These existing regulations require employers of temporary. alien labor to certify to the Government that there is an insufficient number of qualified American workers to fill the available Jobs. Current regulations also contain basic labor standards protections for the temporary agricultural alien worker. Nearly 100 percent of the applications for these temporary workers have been routinely granted.