H.R. 670: High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-01-24 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-01-24 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017

Plain summary

High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per-country limit for employment-based immigrant visas, and (2) increase the limit for family sponsored visas. The bill revises: (1) the H-1B nonimmigrant visa (specialty occupation) program, including by revising the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant"; and (2) the computation of prevailing wage level for purposes of occupational classification. The bill provides that H-1B visas will be allocated on a three-tiered wage-based system if H-1B visa petitions exceed the number of visas available for a fiscal year. An employer may not reduce H-1B wages, except for taxes, garnishments, or under a collective bargaining agreement or where otherwise customary. The bill reserves 20% of fiscal year H-1B visas for employers with 50 or fewer full-time employees, including parent, subsidiary, and other affiliated entities. The bill authorizes dual intent for F-1 visa foreign students. (Dual intent is an immigration concept that allows aliens to be temporarily present in the United States with nonimmigrant status and immigrant intent.) Students may use work experience as qualifying labor certification experience. An amended H-1B petition shall not be required where a petitioner has a valid labor condition application for a new place of employment that has terms and conditions of employment that are the same as the previous place of employment. The receipt of information from an employer for H-1B hiring purposes shall not be considered to be the receipt of information for purposes of determining employer compliance with labor condition requirements.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] reported raising $2.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Sponsor and cosponsor: The sponsor is the member who introduces a bill and leads it. Cosponsors are other members who sign on to show support.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr670.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr670 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115