Eric Thomas or Frances Cox 202-822-9491 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2007

Compete America Endorses Improvements to Senate Immigration Bill as Offered in Cantwell-Kyl Amendment

H-1B Visa Provisions Seen as Critical to U.S. Innovation Economy

Washington, D.C. – Compete America today issued the following statement regarding the Cantwell-Kyl amendment as proposed by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to the Senate’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act.

“Compete America believes that the Senate must include provisions in the immigration reform bill that U.S. employers view as essential to the U.S. innovation economy.  By increasing the number of H-1B visas and targeting that increase to very highly skilled professionals, the Cantwell-Kyl amendment, as we currently understand it, would reduce arbitrary barriers that prevent U.S. companies from sustaining or expanding high-paying jobs here at home.  Because of this and other improvements to the Senate bill, the Cantwell-Kyl amendment takes an important step forward in addressing our concerns. 

“The Cantwell-Kyl amendment makes changes that are vital to U.S. innovation leadership.  We urge the Senate to support the Cantwell-Kyl improvements, and with these important changes, we urge the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible.”

For more information on how highly educated immigration benefits America, please visit www.competeamerica.org. 

Compete America (www.competeamerica.org) is a coalition of corporations, educators, 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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