Speech #1050192257

Speaker. I rise today in support of the Workforce Improvement and Protection Act. Americas cuttingedge companies depend on the annual admission of a small number of highlyskilled workers under the H1B visa program in order to maintain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. The H1B visa program is a timelyand often the onlymeans for U.S. companies to employ foreignborn professionals on a temporary basis. These workers supplement the domestic labor force where no American worker is available who can perform the job. In recent years. the hightech. engineering. pharmaceutical. and other industries that use H1B workers have enjoyed extraordinary growth. Demand for H1B workers has increased to a point where the annual cap of H1B visas was reached in May this year and is expected to be reached even earlier in coming years. This means that indispensable people. who likely have been educated and trained in the United States. will have to retum home and work for our foreign competitors instead of staying in the U.S. to advance American companies and generate jobs for American workers. In my home State of Washington. companies like Boeing and Microsoft. and the hundreds of other hightech firms just starting up. understand the importance of H1B visas. I recently received a letter from a constituent detailing her concerns. She employs less than 10 H1B workers in a company of over 230 employees. These workers are in key leadership roles. where people with international experience and perspective. along with technical expertise. are required. The success of these visa holders enables this company to hire many more American workers. Without the H1 B visa program. this firm would be negatively impacted. to the point where the company could move out of my district. possibly to a foreign country. moving 230 jobs and the ensuing economic benefit out of the United States. Mr. Speaker. hightech companies arent the only ones utilizing the talents of H1B workers. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. also in Washington State. is an excellent example of the specialized abilities of these workers. For example.