A set of newly proposed rules by the U.S. Labor Department would no longer require employers of temporary foreign workers to prove they've tried to recruit U.S. workers first or that the wages are comparable to the local average. While critics complain the new rules would reduce oversight, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao stated the guidelines will provide "additional tools to protect workers and remove duplicative bureaucracy".
See "Proposed work visa rules draw flak", L.M. Sixel, Houston Chronicle, June 12, 2008