High on the tech industry policy wish list is legislation to grant visas to college graduates from other countries with advanced degrees in science and technology. On Friday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced a bill that promises to do just that.
Dubbed, “Attracting the Best and Brightest Act 2012,” (H.R. 6412) the bill would make 50,000 visas available each year to students who “possess a graduate degree at the level of master’s or higher in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics from a United States research institution of higher education.”
Seemingly, this would be a non-partisan issue. But word from Politico is that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) is looking at filing his own version of STEM legislation:
“But election season politics may be getting in the way, with Republicans wanting a bill introduced and voted on sooner than Democrats, according to a source. Rep. Lamar Smith has been at the center of these discussions, which also included Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, and Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Zoe Lofgren, Bob Goodlatte, Howard Berman, and Raul Labrador. A House Judiciary aide confirms Smith is working on a measure that would keep some foreign graduates of U.S. universities with advanced STEM degrees in the U.S., and he hopes to have a draft bill soon.”
Ah, well. Probably would have been kidding ourselves to think it would be easy. In any case, below is a copy of Lofgren’s bill, followed by a breakdown of its contents:
Attracting the Best and Brightest Act of 2012
Here’s the breakdown:
13 comments
Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology Graduates – San Jose Mercury News
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[...] discuss working out a compromise that would reallocate some of the visas from the eliminated …Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology GraduatesSan Jose Mercury NewsRepublicans ready 'STEM Jobs Act'ComputerworldRepresentative Gutierrez [...]
Sep 16, 2012
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[...] Continue …Parties lock horns over legislation to boost high-skilled immigrationThe Hill (blog)Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology GraduatesSan Jose Mercury NewsRepublicans ready 'STEM Jobs Act'ComputerworldeNews Park [...]
Sep 16, 2012
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[...] Congress recessesVOXXIHouse GOP Seeks to Gain More Visas for Foreign Math/Science GradsNewsMax.comSan Jose Mercury News -Computerworldall 18 news [...]
Sep 17, 2012
Congress Pits One Form of Legal Immigration Against Another » Immigration Impact
[...] who can’t get their version of a STEM bill on the Republican-controlled suspension calendar—have cried foul, arguing that by including [...]
Sep 19, 2012
Congress Pits One Form of Legal Immigration Against Another - mansfieldlawgroup.com
[...] who can’t get their version of a STEM bill on the Republican-controlled suspension calendar—have cried foul, arguing that by including [...]
Sep 19, 2012
Key Dem Urges No-Vote on GOP STEM Visa Bill – National Journal
[...] with the issue. Republicans plan to vote this week on a bill by House Judiciary Committee …Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology GraduatesSan Jose Mercury NewsSTEM Jobs Act faces tough odds for House passageThe Hill (blog)House vote on [...]
Sep 19, 2012
Meritocracy Vs. Diversity Impasse Stalls Last Hope For Immediate Immigration … – TechCrunch
[...] predictable partisan division, which will likely prevent any meaningful immigration reform …Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology GraduatesSan Jose Mercury NewsKey Dem Urges No-Vote on GOP STEM Visa BillNational JournalSTEM Jobs Act faces [...]
Sep 20, 2012
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[...] vote, dying on a 257-158 vote. Thirty Democrats joined 227 Republicans in backing the …Rep. Lofgren Offers STEM Visa Bill For Science And Technology GraduatesSan Jose Mercury Newsall 108 news [...]
Sep 20, 2012
Dolores
As the mother of four American STEM grads, who watched them struggle in our economy to find work and launch their adult lives, this quest for STEM visas baffles me. I was a graduation ceremony volunteer for years at a major US research university where I used to work too, and I saw for myself how America has a vast number of wonderful citizen STEM grads. Many of these American kids had to move home and wait tables over the last decade in our dreadful economy, while the foreign STEM grads were aggressively recruited for jobs in America, and the bad times are not over yet by any means. Foreign grads are supposed to go home and lift up their own nations. That’s the entire original purpose of the student visa, and it’s a form of theft for America to retain them. Meanwhile, we continue to ignore, discount, and squander the talents of our own citizen STEM grads. Why, we’re treating them just like we’ve treated American vs. foreign workers over the last decade. Isn’t it way past time we started focusing on own skilled and educated workers, valuing them, and getting them back to work?
Sep 21, 2012
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Sep 21, 2012
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Oct 10, 2012
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[...] calls on SOPA and it was off to the races. We’ve worked on things from the JOBS Act to CISPA and STEM visas. All things are focused on what can help this community quickly and with lasting [...]
Oct 16, 2012