Tommy Tuberville introduces legislation to fix vulnerabilities in visa programs
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville joined Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin to introduce the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act, which aims to reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. According to Tuberville’s press release, the overhaul of the H-1B and L-1 visa programs will protect American workers and crack down on foreign outsourcing companies, which exploit these visa programs to deprive qualified Americans of high-skilled jobs. “For too long, loopholes in our immigration system have been exploited to find cheap labor at the expense of the American worker. That must change. This legislation will crack down on the manipulation of existing vulnerabilities to ensure employers prioritize the American worker before considering any high-skilled foreign applicants. If we are going to get our economy back up and running, we need to do it correctly and that begins with utilizing the talent we have here at home first and foremost,” stated Tuberville. First introduced in 2007, the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act will require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to prioritize for the first time the annual allocation of H-1B visas. The new system would ensure that the best and brightest STEM advanced degree students educated in the United States receive preference for an H-1B visa, and also prioritize other U.S. advanced degree holders, those being paid a high wage, and those with valuable skills. The legislation will prohibit the replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders and clarifies that the working conditions of similarly employed American workers may not be adversely affected by the hiring of an H-1B worker, including H-1B workers who have been placed by another employer at the American worker’s worksite. The legislation will crack down on outsourcing companies that import large numbers of H-1B and L-1 workers for temporary training purposes only to send the workers back to their home countries to do the same job. Specifically, the bill would prohibit companies with more than 50 employees, of which at least half are H-1B or L-1 holders, from hiring additional H-1B employees. The bill gives the U.S. Department of Labor enhanced authority to review, investigate, and audit employer compliance with program requirements, as well as to penalize fraudulent or abusive conduct. It requires the production of extensive statistical data about the H-1B and L-1 programs, including wage data, worker education levels, place of employment, and gender. “Congress created the H-1B and L-1 visa programs to complement America’s high-skilled workforce, not replace it. Unfortunately, some companies are trying to exploit the programs by cutting American workers for cheaper labor. We need programs dedicated to putting American workers first. When skilled foreign workers are needed to meet the demands of our labor market, we must also ensure that visa applicants who honed their skills at American colleges and universities are a priority over the importation of more foreign workers. Our bill takes steps to ensure that the programs work for Americans and skilled foreign workers alike,” Grassley stated.
Alabama Farmers Federation announces more endorsements for House candidates
Thursday, The Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) announced another round of endorsements for candidates seeking election to the Alabama House of Representatives, Yellowhammer News reported. FarmPAC, ALFA’s political arm, helps determine who to endorse. ALFA is Alabama’s largest farm organization representing agricultural and associate members in all 67 Alabama counties. FarmPAC has endorsed the following candidates. Mark Shirey for House District 100 Brock Colvin for House District 26 Jennifer Fidler for House District 94 Mike Kirkland for House District 23 Shirey is an optometrist in West Mobile. He was president of the Alabama Optometric Association and coordinated with state leadership to write legislation for expanded access to eye care services across Alabama. Colvin is a fifth-generation resident of Marshall County and graduated from the University of Alabama with a double major in finance and economics. “My background in finance gives me the skill I will need to roll up my sleeves and protect our tax dollars,” Colvin stated. “We are taxed enough. I will work for lower taxes and better fiscal responsibility out of state government.” Fidler, a Silverhill native, attended Auburn University, where she obtained a degree in Ornamental Horticulture in 1992. She served on the City of Fairhope Planning Commission from 2007 to 2017. With over 25 years of leadership in local government, Fidler retired in 2018 from public service. Kirkland was born and raised in Jackson county. “I am proud of being a part of our community, and now is the time to do even more,” said Kirkland. “I want to serve the great people of Jackson County and be their voice in Montgomery.” ALFA began announcing state legislative endorsements last October. The primary election will take place on May 24, 2022.
Ukraine invasion leads U.S. lobbyists to ditch Russian clients
A half-dozen U.S. lobbying firms severed ties with Russian-linked businesses over the past week, a dramatic pullback for an industry that often has few qualms about representing controversial interests. The rush offers a measure of the potency of the Biden administration’s new sanctions, which were levied after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last week. They make it difficult, if not outright illegal, for U.S. companies to do business with Russia-based ones. Firms including McLarty Associates, BGR Group, and Venable LLP abruptly canceled arrangements that have collectively yielded millions of dollars in lobbying fees in recent years, records show. Among their former clients are investors and operators for the now-canceled Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was supposed to deliver Russian gas to Germany, as well as Russian state-controlled banks and others. Thus far, it’s reversed the normal order of business when war breaks out, which often spurs foreign governments to enlist Washington-based firms to lobby the U.S. government, a review of lobbying records shows. “These lobbying firms and lobbyists were pulling in huge amounts of money,” said Craig Holman, a registered lobbyist for the good government group Public Citizen, who closely tracks the industry. “I really have a hard time believing that they suddenly became altruistic once Russia invaded Ukraine.” Holman said a more likely scenario was that the firms were “lobbying on behalf of the sectors, industries and projects” that were covered by the sanctions and thus required to cease their work. It’s difficult to assess just how many Russian companies or Russian-linked companies are still being represented by U.S. lobbyists. But the recent exodus suggests that the Ukraine invasion may have made representing the country’s interests too toxic even for an industry that has in the past welcomed payment from defense companies, despots, and rebel groups. In 2019, for example, a Libyan general seeking to consolidate his power in the North African country spent $2 million hiring a Texas-based firm to forge closer relations with the U.S. Many of the Russian-linked companies that were dropped were involved in the Nord Stream 2 project, a completed undersea pipeline that would bypass Ukraine to send Russian gas supplies to Europe via Germany. The opening of the pipeline, which would have given Russia tremendous leverage by making it an even larger energy supplier to Europe, was suspended by Germany after last week’s invasion, leading the U.S. to issue sanctions against the company operating it. McLarty quickly dropped five European energy companies that were investors in the project, which have paid the firm at least $3.4 million in fees since 2017, records show. For months, Republicans in the Senate have railed against the pipeline and sought sanctions on businesses involved in the project. But the effort, including legislation sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., went nowhere because it was opposed by President Joe Biden as well as Senate Democrats, who hold the majority. Lobbying records indicate McLarty lobbied Congress and the executive branch to “protect and further the company’s interest in the debate over natural gas as an element of European energy security.” “We felt the honorable thing to do in the aftermath of the Russian invasion was to support U.S. policy and withdraw from the pipeline project,” Richard Burt, who leads a wing of McLarty focused on foreign interests, wrote in an email. Burt had donated $14,000 to Biden’s 2020 election efforts, record show. The firms BGR Group and Roberti Global also dropped the pipeline project’s construction and operating company, Nord Stream 2 AG. The company is controlled by a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, whose fuel sales support the Russian government budget. A representative of Roberti Global, which has collected at least $9.8 million in lobbying fees from Nord Stream 2 AG, did not respond to a request for comment. BGR President Jeffrey H. Birnbaum said in an email that his firm, which has collected at least $1.5 million in lobbying fees from Nord Stream 2 AG, ended its relationship to be in “compliance with economic and trade sanctions announced by the U.S. government.” Firms representing Russian banks also dropped clients. That includes Sberbank and VTB, Russia’s two largest state-run banks, which were targeted last week by sanctions aimed at limiting their businesses internationally. Venable LLP last week dropped an affiliate of Sberbank. The firm has collected at least $800,000 in lobbying fees and closely tracked legislation in Congress of interest to Russia, including economic “sanctions issues” and a bill called the “Defending Ukraine Sovereignty Act.” The two lobbyists who worked on the account, Gregory M. Gill and D. Edward Wilson, did not respond to requests for comment. The firm Sidley Austin also ended its roughly seven-year relationship as a registered “foreign agent” for VTB last Friday. The firm, which has represented the bank since 2015, was on a $40,000 a month retainer and typically collected about $360,000 or more a year in fees from the company. The firm provided “government strategies counsel” and ”lobbying directed toward the U.S. Congress” as well as the White House “regarding the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. government on Russian-affiliated banks,” according to Justice Department filings. A representative of Sidley Austin did not respond to a request for comment. Mercury Public Affairs, LLC similarly dumped clients. Late last week, the firm filed paperwork with the Justice Department to end its status as a “foreign agent” working on behalf of Sovcombank PJSC, as well as the metal and energy producer EN+ Group, which collectively paid the firm $100,000 a month on retainer. A Mercury representative did not respond to a request for comment. Filings state the firm provided “strategic consulting” and “government relations services, including outreach to U.S. Government officials.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Autherine Lucy Foster, first Black student at University of Alabama, dies
Autherine Lucy Foster, the first Black student to enroll at the University of Alabama, died Wednesday. She was 92. University officials announced her death in a statement. Her daughter, Angela Foster Dickerson, said her mother died Wednesday morning and said a family statement would be released. Foster, in 1956 briefly attended classes at the then all-white university. She was expelled three days later after her presence brought protests and threats against her life. Foster, a graduate student studying education, had faced hostile crowds hurling racially charged threats and debris. The university later celebrated Foster’s legacy, her role in desegregating the institution, and her bravery. Her death comes less than a week after university officials dedicated the campus building, where she briefly attended classes in her honor. During the ceremony, she was also proclaimed a “master teacher.” “If I am a master teacher, what I hope I am teaching you is that love will take care of everything in our world, don’t you think,” Foster said at the dedication ceremony last week. “It’s not your color. It’s not how bright you are. It’s how you feel about those that you deal with,” Foster said. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university, where she had returned and earned a master’s degree in education in 1992. “Dr. Foster will always be remembered as one who broke barriers, reminded us of the respect due to every individual, and lived a life of strength in steadfast service to her students and community,” University President Stuart R. Bell said in a statement. After criticism, trustees abandoned a plan for the building to also keep the name of a one-time governor who led the Ku Klux Klan and to rename it solely for Foster. Rather than Lucy-Graves Hall, the classroom building will be known as Autherine Lucy Hall, trustees decided. Foster’s family wanted to use her maiden name since she was known as Autherine Lucy while originally on campus. After Foster left the campus in the 1950s, African-American students did not return to the campus until 1963, when Gov. George Wallace made his infamous stand in the schoolhouse door. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Bill advances to allow concealed handguns without permit
Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation Wednesday that would end the requirement for a person to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the House-passed bill, which now moves to the Alabama Senate. Gun rights advocates have championed the proposal they call “constitutional carry.” They argue that people should not have to get a permit, which requires a background check and paying a fee, to carry a handgun they legally own. Many state sheriffs and other law enforcement officials have opposed the legislation, arguing the permits provide a crucial tool to combat crime and enhance public safety. Republican Rep. Shane Stringer, the sponsor of the bill, said people “shouldn’t have to get permission to carry” a legally owned handgun. “House Bill 272 simply allows law-abiding citizens that are legally able to own a firearm to carry that gun concealed or on or about their persons or in their vehicle without a permit,” Stringer, a former captain with the Mobile County sheriff’s office, told the committee. Law enforcement officials spoke against the bill in a public hearing “I assure you, it would take away some of our ability to protect our communities with a tool that effectively removes weapons from the hands of criminals,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, the current president of the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association, told the committee. Alabama currently requires people to get a concealed carry permit, which requires a background check, to carry a handgun under their clothes or in a purse or bag when they go in public. The bill would do away with the requirement, but people could still choose to get a permit if they wanted. It would also do away with the current requirement for people without concealed carry permits to keep handguns unloaded and secured when driving. There are 21 states that allow concealed weapons in public without a permit, according to Stateline, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “In the 21 states that have passed this legislation, there’s been absolutely no increase in crime or decrease in officer safety as associated with the law. That will remain the same here in Alabama,” Art Thomm, state director for the National Rifle Association, told the committee. A Democratic member of the committee, who recently had her home shot into 23 times, questioned the assertion that there would be no impact on crime. “It’s already like a wild, wild west. And I can just only imagine that this is going to help it escalate somewhat because people are going feel more brazen,” said Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile. Proponents of the bill said the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is developing a database, authorized by a state law creating a lifetime concealed carry permit option, that officers will be able to use to flag people not legally entitled to carry a handgun. Stringer maintained that will be a better tool for law enforcement officers to remove guns from people who can not legally possess them. The database is not operational yet. Jones said that while the idea of the database is good, he believes it will have inevitable gaps in data. Amanda Wasden, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said the database is currently in the developmental phase. She said the testing phase will begin in August, and the agency has a goal of having it fully operational by Oct. 1 as the law requires. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama Oath Keeper pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in January 6 riot
An Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group pleaded guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up and through the January 6 riot, marking the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge. The sentencing guideline range for Joshua A. James, who also pleaded guilty to a charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, was estimated to be 7¼ to nine years in prison. The 34-year-old from Arab, Alabama, acknowledged getting into a physical altercation with a police officer while inside the Capitol and participating in a plan to use force to hinder or delay the transfer of presidential power. James also agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the riot, including testifying before a grand jury. Authorities say James and others affiliated with the group rode golf carts to the Capitol, moved through the crowd in a military-style “stack” formation, and went into the building. James was accused of pushing past officers who tried to stop rioters from moving toward the Rotunda, joining others who confronted officers and profanely proclaiming the building was his. A week before the riot, James said in an encrypted chat that he believed teams within the militia group were adequately armed, prosecutors said in court records. While four other people connected with the Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to obstruction of Congress and a lesser conspiracy charge, James is the first among the 11 people associated with the group to plead guilty to a seditious conspiracy charge. The seditious conspiracy prosecution is the boldest publicly known attempt so far by the government to prosecute those who attacked the U.S. Capitol. The group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and others have pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and other charges. A seditious conspiracy conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, compared with five years on the lesser conspiracy charge facing other group members. Those charged with seditious conspiracy are accused of working together to use force to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Authorities say participants discussed their plans in encrypted chats, traveled to the nation’s capital from across the country, organized into teams, used military tactics, stashed weapons in case they felt they were needed, and communicated with each other during the riot on January 6, 2021. Prosecutors say the group set up a “quick reaction force,” or QRF, that kept guns at a hotel in nearby Arlington, Virginia, and were prepared to bring the weapons into Washington if Rhodes or associates believed the need arose. Days before the attack, one defendant suggested getting a boat to ferry weapons across the Potomac River. In the end, the QRF teams didn’t bring guns into Washington. At the Capitol, Oath Keepers marched in two teams in stack formation, with team members advancing forward with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them. More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 220 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, more than 100 have been sentenced, and at least 90 others have trial dates. The longest prison sentence handed down so far to a January 6 rioter was given to Robert Palmer of Largo, Florida. Palmer, who was sentenced to 5-1/2 years in prison, acknowledged hurling a wooden plank at officers protecting a Capitol entrance, spraying a fire extinguisher, then throwing it when it was done. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
