Speech #1010090091

Speaker. last year Congress enacted legislation providing for an extension of H1 nonimmigrant status through December 31. 1989. for certain foreign nurses working in the United States. We acted in response to an undeniable. severe shortage of registered nursesrecognizing that disruptions in health care delivery would be exacerbated if we failed to provide interim relief. In May of this year. the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees and International Law held a hearing on the immigration aspects of the nursing crisisand 2 weeks ago. the Committee on the Judiciary voted to report H.R. 3259 favorably. That billwhich is before this body todaygenerally permits registered nurses in H1 nonimmigrant status on September 1. 1989 to obtain permanent resident status after 3 years of U.S. employment in their profession. The legislation also modifies provisions of current law relating to the temporary admission of foreign nurses during a 5year trial period. During our subcommittee markup. the ranking minority member of the Immigration Subcommittee. the gentleman from Texas offered an amendment that would have deleted the provision for expedited permanent resident status and substituted annually renewable nonimmigrant status. I supported the amendment because I believed it addressed the needs of health care facilities for the services of foreign nurses without disregarding the numerical limitations of current law in the admission of immigrants. Foreign nurses. under that proposal. eventually could qualify for permanent resident status when visa numbers become availableand in the meantime such nurses would have every incentive to continue providing nursing services in the United States. Although H.R. 3259 does not incorporate the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas . the bill nevertheless is neededand I therefore plan to support final passage. We cannot. in my view. allow the December 31 cutoff date in last years interim measure to pass without taking action. because desperately needed nurses will lose their legal status. This bill. the Immigration Nursing Relief Act of 1989. may provide a precedent for other occupational groups to seek favored treatmentbut I am hopeful that the public health crisis we face constitutes an adequate basis for this body to distinguish registered nurses from other professionals.