Seantalks

Yes, H-1B is a "federal program." But that doesn't mean a Governor can't do anything about it. Here's exactly what I'd do as Florida Governor to effectively end the H-1B scam and protect our workers, especially recent grads. 1. Use state contracts as leverage. There are 100,000 companies in Florida that rely on state contracts. As Governor, I'd mandate that any company receiving a state contract cannot use H-1B labor in Florida. Simple choice: do you want access to the billions Florida spends on everything from software to construction, *or* do you want to keep firing qualified Floridians for cheaper foreign workers? You can't have both. You can guess which choice companies like Amazon, Accenture, and FedEx will make. 2. Fine H-1Bs into oblivion. President Trump supports a $100,000 fine per H-1B worker imported. I'd double that in Florida and make it annual. The H-1B program is not being used to hire the world's "best and brightest scientists and engineers." 72% of H-1B visas go to entry-level positions. Companies are importing cheap foreign labor from India for jobs like accounting, IT tech support, and financial analysis. There are 7-Eleven locations in Florida that have imported H-1B workers from India while Americans are desperate for work and relying on taxpayer-funded welfare to survive. Congress created the H-1B program in 1990 under the Immigration Act. I wish Congress would end it, but I'm not holding my breath. As Governor, I'll never throw in the towel because something is a "federal issue." I'll use state contracts and annual fines to compel companies to ditch the H-1B scam and hire American workers again so they can earn a living, get married, start a family, and buy a home.