Speech #1050207245

If U.S. industry needs more skilled workers than the U.S. labor force can provide. as the Department of Commerce has documented. then we must allow them to hire foreign skilled workers. and. as is more often the case. allow them to hire foreign graduate students educated here in the United States. These foreign workers create wealth and more jobs in this country. If we block these visas the research will go abroad. The Semiconductor Research Corporation. founded by the U.S. semiconductor industry. supports approximately 800 graduate students each year with meritbased scholarships. Some of the students receiving grants are foreigners studying here in the United States. They told me that this year. for the first time. they have been unable to hire all of the graduate students whose research they funded. even though the students wished to remain in the United States. because they cannot get H1B visas. When I cosponsored S. 1723 in May. I believed it was a good bill because it not only temporarily increased the number of visas available for skilled workers. but it also set up education and training programs for Americans so that more U.S. workers will soon be eligible for these highpaying jobs in the hightech sector. I am delighted to say that I believe the bill that emerged from the long and detailed negotiation between Senator ABRAHAM and the White House is now even better legislation. The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act increases the number of visas available for the next three years. includes funding to decrease processing time for visa applications. and funds education and training programs to increase the pool of skilled workers in the United States. For the benefit of workers. it includes substantial protections for U.S. workers. increases enforcement authority for the Department of Labor to protect workers rights. and creates additional protections for HiB employees. These new protections will help eliminate real and/or perceived hiring practices that came under criticism and made this such a controversial visa program. Removing the opportunity for abuse of the program makes its a stronger program and broadens its base of support. This act is in the best interests of both U.S. and foreign workers and U.S. business.