Speech #1020003710

Mr. President. the purpose of this bill is to accord immigrant status to foreign students who attain a bachelor of science or postgraduate degree in the natural sciences. computer science. or engineering. This bill addresses the concerns raised by Richard Atkinson in his presidential address at the American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS] annual meeting. Atkinson states that the supply of scientists and engineers at the baccalaureate level will almost certainly decline over the coming decade. The size of the collegeage population will continue to decrease and it is unlikely that the precentage of college students who are awarded baccalaureate degrees in science and engineering will increase fast enough to compensate for that decrease. These facts. combined with growing demand for scientists and Ph.D.s in science and engineering due to other demographic trends. portend an increasing annual shortfall in the needed supply of Ph.D.s Atkinson estimates that this shortfall may be as high as 10.000 by the year 2010. The Immigration Act of 1990 takes some valuable steps to address these concerns. The act provides 40.000 visas for priority workers and an additional 40.000 visas for persons with exceptional ability. advanced degrees. or the equivalent. The act. however. fails to make use of the most valuable. most available supply of foreignborn scientists and engineers: Foreign students who have received science and engineering degrees from American universities. This bill will directly address the anticipated shortfall of scientists and engineers by allowing students who have been educated in the United States to remain here if they so desire.