Governors throw support behind H-1B increase
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Thirteen state chiefs, many from tech-heavy locales, tell Congress there's a "critical shortage" in math and science professionals.
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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called on the U.S. Congress to raise the cap on skilled-worker visas, saying the county's economic future was at stake.
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Ephraim Schwartz, InfoWorldâs fearless editor at large, has waded into roiling waters once again. Iâm talking about his ongoing coverage of the SKIL (Securing Knowledge, Innovation and Leadership) Bill, which would raise the yearly cap on H-1B visas, allowing qualified foreign workers â many in IT â to work in the States.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Governor Deval L. Patrick is looking to companies to cough up nearly $800 million more in tax payments over the next two years, through what he calls "closing loopholes." But businesses call the seven proposed changes job-killing tax increases.
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Exempts certain grads of U.S. schools from H-1B cap, requires firms to attest that H-1B worker will not displace U.S. worker.
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(InfoWorld) - It appears that the STRIVE (Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy) Act of 2007 isn't quite dead after all. On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees Border Security, and International Law convened and on its first day took written statements from witnesses on the bill. The comprehensive immigration bill that caused such a furor earlier this year, mainly over the issue of whether it was offering amnesty to illegal immigrants, also addressed the H-1B visa cap. The cap, now set at 65,000, with an additional 20,000 reserved for foreign workers who have a graduate degree from a U.S. institution, would be raised to 115,000 for 2008 with a stipulation that it would go up an additional 20 percent each year that the quota was met, with a final cap of 180,000 visas issued. At the hearing, STRIVE Act cosponsor Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona did not specifically bring up the issue of H-1B, but he did say that the STRIVE Act "addresses the failures and problems with past worker programs." Countering Flake's premise, Julie Kirchner, the government relations director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform said, "These provisions are a serious threat to high-tech workers in the U.S., including legal immigrants who have patiently waited their turn to take part in the American dream." In total, there were a dozen witnesses submitting written statements, but the others did not address the issue of the H-1B visa cap.
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A bipartisan panel of governors has recommended that states expand access to pre-kindergarten and push for early childhood education efforts if they want to properly prepare kids for school.
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The Giuliani-era police commissioner, who now leads the Los Angeles police, said he supports the governor's plan to grant licenses to illegal immigrants.
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Governors of both parties are taking the lead on finding ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
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Mayors from across the country called on the federal government on Wednesday to quickly create a stimulus package that includes home ownership and local economic assistance.
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Republican House leaders expressed confidence Wednesday that they will be able to extend three of popular tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of this year.
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Work and Pension Secretary Peter Hain is given unanimous backing  from his local party amid the donations row.
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Twenty-three of the country's governors have endorsed a presidential candidate at a time when their support matters most, lending their names, fundraising and organizing machinery to campaigns desperate for an edge in the primaries.
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Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told the California GOP convention Saturday the United States should encourage foreigners with skills to immigrate, while discouraging those who come here illegally and without skills.
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Governors from both parties appealed yesterday for the Bush administration and Congress to provide more money for a health-care program that insures millions of children.
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Presidential candidates and the governors who have endorsed them:
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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson raised at least $2 million for his presidential campaign, a tally that puts him in good standing in the race for the Democratic nomination.