Category: Paul Crocetti
Foreign Employees Receive Extension on Visas
Visa
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
October 4, 2006
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4– Congress last week acted to extend an exemption in the H-2b visa program, allowing foreign workers who have been employed in the United States in the last three years to work here next year.
The exemption would have expired Oct. 1 but it has been extended to the same date next year. H-2b visas allow people to do unskilled labor in this country for up to a year.
The H-2b program allows employers to hire foreign workers to fill jobs that cannot be filled by U.S. employees. Between October, 2005 and April, 2006 Massachusetts received 612 H-2b visa applications from Cape and Island employers trying to fill 5,675 positions, according to the state Department of Labor.
“A lot of our members were very nervous about next year, especially on the Cape and the Islands,” said Wendy Northcross, the chief executive officer of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. “It’s important to those folks. They’ll be relieved.”
Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., who originally introduced the bill, had hoped for a three-year extension, but ended up with the one year as a compromise. The bill was passed as part of the far-reaching National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 and is awaiting the President’s signature.
“I am proud that I was able to work with my colleagues from across the aisle in both houses of Congress to ensure that the H-2b exemption for returning workers will be extended for an additional year,” Bass said in a press release. “The H-2b program has been a crucial avenue by which small and seasonal businesses find the temporary workers that they need to stay in business.”
The program is very important for employers on the Cape who rely on foreign workers for entry-level positions such as cooks and dishwashers, Northcross said. She dismissed the notion that the immigrant laborers are doing jobs that U.S. citizens might want.
“It’s hard to find people” to do the jobs, she said, adding that the immigrant workers “are doing hard labor, unskilled work. People think it’s taking away jobs and that’s not the case.”
There is a detailed process for businesses that wish to file for employees with H-2b visas, and they must go through the Department of Labor. According to the Department of Labor’s criteria for awarding an H-2b visa, “there must be no qualified and willing U.S. workers available for the job.”
Added Northcross: “It’s not simple, it’s not cheap, it’s not easy. It’s not like putting out a want-ad.”
These businesses are safe for now, but Congress may have to take up the issue again next year.
“As long as there is a need for seasonal work, we’ll continue to fight for it,” Bass spokesman John Billings said. “We’ll probably have to look at this in the future.”
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Kennedy Joins Senators, Religious Leaders in Urging Immigration Reform
Immigration
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
September 26, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 — With just days to go before Congress breaks for the November elections, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), other senators and religious leaders in urging comprehensive immigration reform.
The speakers were united in their call for the humane treatment of illegal immigrants.
“Leviticus teaches us that, ‘The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born,’” Kennedy said, quoting from the Bible. “And we remember the words of Christ, from St. Matthew’s Gospel, that we are not only to feed the hungry and care for the sick, but to welcome the stranger.”
McCain also spoke at the press conference in the Russell Senate Office Building about the illegal immigrants who are already here.
“We should not have 11 or 12 million people working around in our society without any protections of our laws, who can be exploited or mistreated, almost at will,” he said. “They have none of those protections of our laws that every human being that resides in our nation should have.”
The Senate and House have both passed their own versions of the bill. Since they are different, the two chambers are currently debating revisions with the hopes of bringing a compromise version to the floor for another vote.
The Senate version of the bill, which the senators support, provides for a guest-worker program for some immigrants, something the House immigration bill does not include.
There are other major differences between the House version of the bill and the Senate one. The House bill requires 700 miles of fencing at the Mexico-United States border, while the Senate version calls for 500 miles of vehicle barriers and the hiring of thousands of Border Patrol agents. However, last week, the Senate voted to start debating a measure to add the House’s fencing portion to its own bill.
The bills are also different in their treatment of those interacting with immigrants. The House bill would make it a felony to assist an illegal immigrant in entering or remaining in the country.
“I believe it does leave open the possibility for private citizens to be prosecuted criminally for giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name, to someone who is here illegally,” said Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, an agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.
“That language and that idea must be stricken from any comprehensive illegal immigration bill,” he said. “The language that is in the House bill currently reminds me of nothing quite so much as the reprehensible fugitive slave law of the 1850s, that punished private citizens for assisting those who were trying to find their way to freedom.”
Kennedy said he is looking ahead to more debate on the issue.
“I think that the proposal that the House sent over is a poor substitute for the comprehensive approach,” he said.
The debate might extend past the November elections to the end of the 109th Congress.
“There is still time in this Congress for us to enact a tough but fair immigration law,” Kennedy said.
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Cancer Activists Join Thousands in Yearly Trek to Washington
CancerCape
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
September 21, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21– Thousands of cancer activists filled the National Mall and corridors of Congress this week, and each had a different story to tell. Some have battled the disease themselves. Some know 10 or 20 people who have had cancer. They all came together to spread awareness of the disease and push for more research-funding.
A group of about 10 people from Southeastern Massachusetts came to take part in Wednesday’s fifth annual “Celebration on the Hill,” organized by the American Cancer Society.
“I represent all the youth from Massachusetts,” said Alexander Cvitan, 14, of Falmouth, who has been in remission from lymphoma for one year. Cvitan, on his first trip to the nation’s capital, said his favorite event was a walk around the Mall called the “survivors’ lap.”
“There were enough people to cover the entire reflecting pool,” he said.
Cvitan’s mother, Brenda, joined him at the event.
“Alex and all these good people are teaching everyone daily,” she said. “He’s my hero daily.”
The group heard from speakers on the Mall, took part in a candle-lighting ceremony and met with U.S. Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.).
Carol Genatossio, of Harwich, represented all the people she knows who have had cancer. Her shirt was covered in buttons and nametags, each one representing one person who survived or passed away from cancer.
“Every single name on my body is someone I know,” she said.
In the meeting in Delahunt’s office, Genatossio said that her husband is a survivor. She also mentioned why she makes a good volunteer.
“I have a big mouth,” she said, to laughter from the group, referring to the fact that she is outspoken.
Delahunt, coming from a House vote, entered to applause. The congressman knows first-hand the effects of cancer, as his mother died from the disease.
“Cancer really brings us together,” he said. “I know we all have stories. We all know people, some in our immediate family. My mom physically died in my arms.
“Finally, the care receiver was the caregiver,” Delahunt said. “The last few years were wonderful. It had a big impact on me.”
When the topic of funding came up, the congressman made a connection to the amount of money being spent in Iraq.
“If we only spent as much on cancer as…,” he said, not having to finish the thought. “It just provokes outrage.”
This year, the American Cancer Society is calling for more funding in a variety of areas, from the elimination of Medicare co-pays for breast cancer screenings, to grants for State Comprehensive Cancer Control programs.
The society recently announced that for the first time in 70 years of tracking cancer data, the actual number of cancer deaths is declining.
However, according to the society, last year Congress voted to cut the National Institutes of Health budget for the first time in 35 years and to reduce funding for cancer research for the first time in a decade.
“People from every corner of the country who have been touched by cancer are making a strong statement about the importance of the government’s role in the battle against this disease,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph. D., chief executive of the American Cancer Society, in a press release. “Lawmakers need to know that without their support, the war on cancer will not be won.”
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Delahunt Joins Congressmen in Urging Federal Protection from Oil Spills
Oil
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
September 20, 2006
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20—Citing the Buzzards Bay oil spill of 2003, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) and other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are urging the federal government to enforce more protective measures for the oil industry.
After the spill, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Oil Spill Prevention Act which would have regulated oil tankers while they were in Massachusetts waters, but a federal court overturned the law in July because it exceeded state authority.
A Sept. 14 letter to Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard commandant, signed by Delahunt and U.S. Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and James McGovern (D-Mass.) asks the federal government to adopt provisions of the state law.
“We were disappointed in the decision of the federal court because the state legislation was clearly satisfactory to us,” Delahunt said. “We believed it set all the standards that were necessary to not have a recurrence of an oil spill.”
The law’s provisions included instituting minimum watch and manning requirements for oil tankers and barges, mandating the use of state pilots to assist in navigating Buzzards Bay and mandating the use of tugboat escorts for all oil barges.
“What the congressmen are talking about is exactly what we need the federal government to do,” said Mark Rasmussen, executive director of the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. “The Coast Guard is the agency that can solve this problem. These are common-sense, reasonable measures that worked on Buzzards Bay for 18 months” before the court overturned the law.
According to Rasmussen, the letter is well-timed; the Coast Guard posted possible rule changes in the Federal Register in July and is looking for public comment.
“As the issue continues to move forward,” said Chief Scott Carr of the Coast Guard’s Boston public affairs office, “the Coast Guard looks forward to working with all the parties to make these rules right the first time.”
Delahunt said his office has a good relationship with the Coast Guard. He said he hopes to have a meeting in Washington with the agency in October.
“Adopting these preventative measures into federal statute would provide peace of mind to coastal communities and hopefully spur the companies running oil barges to be more cautious,” state Sen. Therese Murray (D-Barnstable), said in a statement.
The Bouchard Transportation Co.’s spill in Buzzards Bay on April 27, 2003, polluted 93 miles of coastline and killed more than 400 federally protected birds.
The heavy amount of traffic through Buzzards Bay and the urgency of the situation necessitated a joint effort by the three House members, Delahunt said.
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Restriction on Off-Reservation Indian Gaming Fails to Pass House
Gaming
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University News Service
September 14, 2006
WASHINGTON–A vote in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday failed to restrict Indian tribes from building off-reservation gambling facilities. As a result, in states where casinos are legal, Indian tribes with state approval can continue to acquire land outside their reservations for gaming purposes.
The House voted Wednesday, 247-171, to suspend the rules and pass the Restricting Indian Gaming to Homelands of Tribes Act, leaving it 43 votes shy of passage. Votes to suspend House rules require a two-thirds majority to pass.
The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head opposed the bill, as did most tribes, according to Donald Widdiss, the tribal council chairman.
“It will have a long way to go if it ever wants to see the light of day again,” Widdiss said.
The Gay Head tribe has looked to build a casino in the past and might in the future, he said.
“It depends on whether the state allows Class III gaming,” Widdis said, referring to Foxwoods-style gambling, “and if they do, we are considering it. But they’re not at this point.”
U.S. Rep. William Delahunt (CQ), D-Mass., voted against the bill. According to Steven Broderick, Delahunt’s press secretary, the Congressman would have preferred a full and open debate on the bill rather than a vote to suspend the rules and pass it.
Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., who co-sponsored the legislation with Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., expressed disappointment Wednesday that the bipartisan effort failed.
“We did not secure enough votes to pass the bill under House rules designed for non-controversial measures,” he said. “How this bill could be considered controversial – outside Indian gaming circles, of course – is beyond me.”
The practice that enables Indian tribes to set up casinos off-reservation, often near tourist areas, is “a threat to communities,” Pombo said.
According to Melissa Mazzella DeLaney, a spokeswoman for the House Resources Committee, there are no immediate plans to re-file the bill.
“It’s hard to say where it’s going to go,” she said. “There are so few days on the legislative calendar. Leadership gave us this chance to reform the act.”
She said she was unsure why so many voted against the bill when in committee it passed, 27-9.
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Delahunt Leads Press Conference Announcing Challenges to Travel Industry
Travel
Cape Cod Times
Paul Crocetti
Boston University Washington News Service
September 13, 2006
WASHINGTON—In an effort to strengthen the country’s image abroad, U.S. Rep. William Delahunt joined leaders of the travel industry Wednesday to propose steps to reduce barriers to travel to the United States.
The press conference, in a park near the Capitol, featured the launch of the Discover America Partnership. Funding for the program will come from two groups represented at the conference: the Travel Industry Association and the Travel Business Roundtable. Amid worries that travel to the United States is decreasing, the partnership said its goal is to attract 10 million additional visitors to the country each year.
“Locally, the concern has been that we have seen the decline in the number of international visits, coming to the Cape and the Islands, coming to Quincy, coming to Plymouth,” Delahunt said in an interview after the conference.
According to the Commerce Department,, travel to the United States dropped by almost 4 percent since 2000.
“It’s in our economic interest, particularly the Cape and the Islands, to encourage international business,” said Delahunt, a member of the International Relations Committee, “because we know that they stay longer than the domestic tourists and data is very clear that they spend four times as much. That means more tax revenue. That means more jobs. It’s a win-win.”
The Quincy Democrat said it is important for the international community to know that it will be welcomed here.
“At the national level, what we have to do is to convey to the rest of the world that the United States is a warm nation, not one that is inhospitable,” he said. “We want to encourage a better understanding of what America is about. We want to tell the world what our values are: that we respect diversity, that we embrace tolerance for others, despite ethnicity, despite nationality, despite religion.”
Delahunt also cited the difficulties many travelers face in getting into the United States.
“Part of the problem is people abroad feeling reluctant to go through the bureaucratic maze that often accompanies securing visas to come here,” he said. “So government has to streamline that process.”
Delahunt also recently worked to help the travel industry with his Cultural Coastline initiative, a project designed to promote travel to the Massachusetts coast. Travel is the largest industry in Cape Cod, according to Corinne Young, a district representative in Delahunt’s Quincy office.
Originally started in anticipation of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, the project now has a budget of about $100,000, Young said. The project sends representatives to foreign countries to promote the coast as a vacation destination, Young said. Currently a representative from Plimoth Plantation is in Europe.
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