Republicans call for more H-1B Visas

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_7091661

Republicans urge action on tech issues
CALL FOR MORE H-1B VISAS
By Frank Davies
Mercury News Washington Bureau
Article Launched: 10/05/2007 01:36:07 AM PDT

WASHINGTON - Worried that Democrats in Congress were getting too much credit for leadership on tech-industry issues, GOP House leaders Thursday pressed Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move quickly on several tech priorities, including allowing more skilled workers from overseas.
In a letter to Pelosi, D-San Francisco, Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and at least 30 other Republicans also called for quick action on making the Internet tax moratorium permanent. The moratorium, which bars state and local governments from taxing e-commerce and Internet access, expires Nov. 1.
In addition, Republicans want an expanded research-and-development tax credit, building on an increase enacted last year, and a renewed effort to encourage the use of electronic medical records.
"These are dire needs, and we want to keep America competitive," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who has worked on tech issues for years. "The speaker has talked about some of these issues, but not enough has been done."
Democrats responded swiftly, saying they welcomed GOP support. "They were in power 12 years, and we've passed important legislation in 30 weeks," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, citing patent reform and more funding for science and math education and for basic research.
[b]The significance of the GOP letter is that it indicates some Republican support for more H-1B visas and green cards for foreign workers - a major legislative goal of tech companies that has


been tied up in the highly charged debate over immigration[/b].
Goodlatte said more House members are realizing that an unrealistic limit on visas for skilled workers is another reason companies set up offices overseas. Allowing more skilled foreign workers into the United States helps keep jobs, he said.
"We must enact legislation to allow U.S. companies to attract and retain high-skilled workers to contribute and excel in the U.S. economy without unnecessary delays and waiting periods," the GOP leaders wrote in the letter.
Lofgren, who hopes to push for a visa increase soon, said the GOP letter reveals some new supporters.
"Some names on there have never been allies on immigration reform," Lofgren said. "I'm glad to be surprised."
lobbyist, Ralph Hellmann, said "competition is a good thing" when both parties vie for credit in backing parts of the tech agenda.
"Having Boehner and Pelosi spar over who is committed most to the tech community is a healthy atmosphere to be in," Hellmann said. "We just hope the competition leads to action on many of these items."
GOP leaders in the House now see a good issue in pushing for making the Internet tax moratorium permanent. Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee held off on a bill to do that, and several senators - including Republican Lamar Alexander of Tennessee - are blocking it in the Senate.
Some senators and House members want to extend the moratorium for several years but not make it permanent, so they can review it in the future.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, is sponsor of a bill to make the moratorium permanent. Three GOP House leaders who signed the letter joined as co-sponsors on her bill in the past week - Boehner, Minority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri and Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia.
Frank Davies can be reached at [email protected] or (202) 662-8921.

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Then they should be more open to dream act then shouldn't they??? I hope the house ties the dream act to the h1-b visa increases. That would be great.

We need to keep an eye on this and if it comes up push for Dream to be attached..

If they support and want more high skilled workers, why would they want to fight the dream act?? Since most of us will become high skilled workers anyway.

I'm a high skilled worker now

I'm going to call Pelosi and ask her how counterproductive it is to increase H1-B visas cap and not pass the DREAM Act. Also I'm calling Rep. Zoe Loefgren to ask her the same thing. Remember, Durbin mentioned this in one of his DREAM speeches.

I suggest all of you call Pelosi and Loefgren and point this fact out. For the really ambitious ones, please call Rep. John Boehner and ask him why he is calling for the importation of skilled foreign workers when we are still here. Remember to say that Senator Durbin pointed out the stringent educational requirements for DREAMERS so it is already given that the DREAM Act would benefit very smart students. If Boehner is pushing to import workers, what happened to our foes screaming "They are taking jobs away from AMERICAN CITIZENS"

Seriously, is no one else angry and riled about this as I am???

Its the same old story..Durbin told me and Juan how can we import more H1B visas when there are people like us already living here..But what can you do, its politics

Yes we can do something about it. We will call and give them hell.

The simple fact is in order to get the Dream Act passed, a level of compromise must take place. Just as the Dream Act is relatively uncontroversial to Democrats, expansion of H1B Visas is largely supported by Republicans. For the Dream Act to pass within the next month, I would think a backdoor compromise would need to be made that would combine the Dream Act with H1B Visa reform and/or Agjobs. Hopefully just negotiations are taking place, if not maybe we need to push the idea. While everyone here may not like this to happen, thus is the nature of politics.

WTF yeah I am as pissed off as you are... thats bs why import it when it's already here?!
How can that be so wildly supported by Republicans UGH they are soo hypocritical.. they say something and then do the same thing they just denounced!!
I do think we should start a calling campaign to these people..

They can pass it through because the people who get the HIB1 Visas have money - , regardless of the good or bad of it, it does seem like a really good attachment opportunity .. and a good match with the education requirements of DREAM.

The people on alipac and talk radio probably don't like it (because they don't like anybody)- but really, they are loud and nuts but there aren't actually that many of them- they just make it seem that way.

So Lohfgren, Pelosi, Boehner, anyone else to call and suggest they attach DREAM with it ? Anyone in the Senate who is big on this, or is that premature ?