SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PRESERVATION OF A SKILLED UNITED STATES SHIPYARD WORKFORCE.

SEC. 123. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PRESERVATION OF A SKILLED UNITED STATES SHIPYARD WORKFORCE.(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the preservation of a robust domestic skilled workforce is required for the national shipbuilding infrastructure and particularly essential to the construction of ships for the United States Navy.(b) Study Required.—(1) In general.—The Secretary of the Navy shall determine, on a one-time, non-recurring basis, and in consultation with the Department of Labor, the average number of H2B visa workers employed by the major shipbuilders in the construction of United States Navy ships during the calendar year ending December 31, 2007. The study shall also identify the number of workers petitioned by the major shipbuilders for use in calendar year 2008, as of the first quarter of calendar year 2008.(2) Report.—Not later than April 1, 2008, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report containing the results of the study required by subsection (b).(3) Definitions.—In this paragraph—(A) the term “major shipbuilder” means a prime contractor or a first-tier subcontractor responsible for delivery of combatant and support vessels required for the naval vessel force, as reported within the annual naval vessel construction plan required by section 231 of title 10, United States Code; and(B) the term “H2B visa” means a non-immigrant visa program that permits employers to hire foreign workers to come temporarily to the United States and perform temporary non-agricultural services or labor on a one-time, seasonal, peakload, or intermittent basis.