Speech #1010216945

Chairman. much has been said about H.R. 4300. and its benefits for the Irish. The legislation has been embraced by IrishAmerican groups. The way I see it. there are really three provisions in this bill which will provide some benefit to the Irish: the Diversity Visa Program. the Transitional Visa Program authorized under section 201 of the legislation. and the employmentbased visas of the bill. While all provisions have some merit. I am concerned that none go nearly far enough Let me address these provisions. The Diversity Visa Program establishes a complicated formula. dividing the world into low admission and high admission regions. Qualified imigrants can apply for a diversity visa on a lot. tery basisone application per immigrant. While I appreciate the underlying premise of the Diversity Visa Program. there are problems with it. First. the program does not begin until 1994and the only existing immigration program remotely similar to the Diversity Visa Program in H.R. 4300 expires next year. Second. and more importantly. the fact that qualified immmigrants can apply for diversity visas only once blatantly discriminates against countries with low population. For example. under the bill. Europe is a low admission region.