NEWS CONTACTS: Eric Thomas or Frances Cox 202/822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2006

Compete America Praises Representative Shadegg for Introduction of H-1B and Green Card Reform Legislation

'SKIL Bill' Would Provide Critical Permanent Fix to Programs U.S. Employers Need to Hire Highly Educated Foreign Talent

Washington D.C. - Compete America today praised the introduction of the "SKIL Bill" by Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) to reform both the H-1B visa and employment based (EB visa) green card processes. The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives John Campbell (R-CA), K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), John T. Doolittle (R-CA), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Mike Pence (R-IN), John Shimkus (R-IL) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS). A companion measure, S. 2691, was introduced last month by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate.

The introduction of the SKIL Bill in the House is the latest indicator that both the U.S. Congress and Bush Administration are prepared to fix a growing competitiveness crisis for the United States and reform the visa system for highly educated foreign nationals. Compete America has also endorsed measures addressing H-1B and EB visa issues contained in comprehensive immigration legislation in the Senate as well as the President's call to ensure access to talent as part of the Administration's American Competitiveness Initiative.

"Representative Shadegg clearly understands that highly educated foreign-born professionals bring great benefits to the U.S. economy, competitiveness and workforce, and we commend him for his leadership on this critical issue," said Sandra Boyd, National Association of Manufacturers Human Resources Policy Vice President and Compete America Chair. "The introduction of the SKIL Bill in the House brings us one step closer to enacting a permanent fix to the broken H-1B and EB green card systems this year."

Both the H-1B and EB visa/green card programs have been responsible for bringing much needed foreign talent to live and work in the United States, and most importantly, to make significant contributions to the U.S. economy and global competitiveness. However, H-1B shortages continue, with the FY 2007 cap already exhausted, and backlogs in the green card system are getting worse, forcing thousands of valued foreign-born professionals - including researchers, scientists, teachers and engineers - into legal and professional limbo for at times up to five years beyond normal processing times.

Among the provisions of the SKIL Bill (Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership) endorsed by Compete America are the following:

• Exemptions for U.S. educated foreign workers with master's or higher degrees from the H-1B and EB green card quotas so their talent can be retained in the United States.
• Creation of a flexible, market-based H-1B cap so that U.S. employers are not locked out of hiring critical talent for over a year at a time.
• Extension of foreign students' post curricular optional practical training from 12 months to 24 months to allow them to transition more easily from student to green card.
• Exemptions for EB green card immigrant spouses and children from the annual cap, thus making more visas available for the innovative professionals we need.

"The House has now shown its commitment to fixing, once and for all, the H-1B and EB green card systems so that U.S. employers have a reliable vehicle for hiring much-needed foreign talent," said Lynn Shotwell, Executive Director of the American Council on International Personnel. "We are grateful to Representative Shadegg for his leadership on helping pave the way for permanent reform of these critical visa programs this year."

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, universities, research institutions and trade associations concerned about legal, employment-based immigration and committed to ensuring that the United States has the highly educated workforce necessary to ensure continued innovation, job creation and leadership in a worldwide economy.

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