Iowa House Advances Bill to Limit Use of H-1B Visas

An Iowa bill that would limit colleges’ ability to hire international scholars has passed through the state’s House and gained approval from a Senate committee, meaning it is just one floor vote and a signature away from becoming law, The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.

If passed, House File 2513 would prevent public institutions from hiring H-1B visa holders whose nation of origin is among those designated “federally designated foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism.” Examples include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela. In recent months, Texas and Florida have moved to ban public universities from using H-1B visas to hire any foreign worker, though the directives provided for exemptions on a case-by-case basis. The federal government has also increased scrutiny of the program.

So far, the bill has seen general support from the Legislature’s Republican majority, receiving a 68-to-27 vote last week in the House. But that doesn’t mean it’s faced no pushback. Some observers worry it could lead to legal repercussions.  

At the Senate subcommittee meeting Wednesday, Jillian Carlson, state relations officer for the Iowa Board of Regents, voiced the concern that the bill would “conflict with both state and federal laws on discrimination based on national origin.” She added that roughly 120 to 130 of the system’s nearly 30,000 employees hold an H-1B visa.

Two of the subcommittee’s three members—one Democrat and one Republican—said they share Carlson’s concerns.

“Those numbers are concerning to me as to, is this what’s in the best interest, not only for our students, but also for our country, [to] have individuals here that … may not be loyal to America in the same manner that we all are?” said Sen. Adrian Dickey, a Packwood Republican.

Still, the bill moved forward. Sen. Mike Pike, a Des Moines Republican and chair of the subcommittee, said anyone who votes against the bill is allowing “those we’re actively engaged in conflict with who are killing our troops” to access a “free pass.”

“I urge a yes vote on this bill that sends a message that it is not acceptable to hire professors whose main objective may be how they can best aid terrorism or foreign adversaries,” he said.