The long term solution to this problem is obviously to encourage more education and job training of American citizens in hightech fields. and S. 1723 does speak to that need by providing $50 million in matching funds for educational scholarships as well as $10 million per year to train unemployed workers in new skills. But in the short term. we must act quickly to ensure that American information technology companies are not forced to slow their domestic operations or. worse. move their operations overseas in search of the skilled foreign workers who would come to the U.S. if given the chance. The skilled foreign workers employed under the H1B program will keep their employers strong and growing so that they can hire even more American workers. Senator ABRAHAM made an important accommodation in Committee when he modified his bill so that the increase in HlB visas would sunset after five years. During the first years of that period. the bill calls for a study by the National Academy of Sciences to examine the future training and education needs of American students to ensure that their skills are matched to the needs of the information technology sector. The study would also assess the need by the hightech sector for foreign workers with specific skills. and would examine the effects of increasing globalization. By the time the increase in visas is set to expire. Congress will have had an excellent opportunity to reexamine the H1B program in light of additional information and new economic conditions. and hopefully there will be many more skilled American workers to fill these jobs. A progressive new idea included in the bill is the authorization of demonstration projects for technical skills training for workers. including incumbent workers. by local and regional consortia of private sector groups. This is a very important addition to the bill. and I want to thank Senator ABRAHAM for including it.
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H1B visas