Jun 12, 2008 9:06 pm US/Eastern
Rep. Weiner Wants 1,000 Visas For Models Per Year
Congressman With History Of High-Profile Relationships Goes To Bat For Fashion Industry
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Rep. Anthony Weiner (file)
CBS
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner is coming to the aid of damsels in distress: Foreign-born models who are having trouble getting visas.
The fashion industry wants more foreign-born models to come to the U.S., and it seems as though Rep. Weiner agrees. It's not so much about letting foreign models in, but about keeping the business in the U.S. That's the argument being made by many representatives of the fashion industry.
Right now, models are at a disadvantage. They are forced to compete with brainiacs for the same visas.
Superstar model Gisele Bundchen thinks it's just about the work.
"I just listen to the music and I walk," said the world's most famous model.
"To have fashion models lumped in with computer specialists and accounting specialists and any of these other trades seems to make less sense," said fashion expert David Chase.
Enter Weiner, a Congressman with an eye for the ladies. He's squired Gigi Stone, Rebecca Mead, Alli Joseph and his current squeeze, Hillary Clinton staffer, Huma Abedin. Experts say foreign models certainly add to the model pool.
Curiously, for a politician who's Sunday press conferences are a New York staple, Weiner's staff said he was way too busy to talk about this bill on Thursday.
The legislation could have a big impact on the fashion industry. Last year, just 349 foreing-born models got visas.
The "Weiner Bill" allows up to 1,000 models into the country each year.
"This seems like a win win for everybody," said Chase.
New Yorkers have mixed views about whether the need to fix the fashion industry ranks up there with fixing the economy or the war in Iraq.
"It's just like America. It's the way it goes. There's more important things than a visa for a fashion model," said Brooklyn resident Pat Vasquez.
"Anything that would help our economy is a plus," said NYC resident Tina Hunter.
The fate of the bill is uncertain. The good news: after kicking around for three years, it finally passed a committee vote in the House. The bad news: The Department of Homeland Security questions whether it's right to single out one visa category for special treatment.
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