And closing today's round of U.S. Senate news and ending on the theme of immigration reform, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D. NH) has come out as a co-sponsor of the Immigration Innovation Act, A.K.A. the I-Squared Act of 2013:
http://www.unionleader.com/...
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of senators cosponsoring a bill to increse the number of visas and green cards available for "highly-skilled workers in science and technology."
The Immigration Innovation Act, also referred to as the I-Squared Act of 2013, has the backing of businesses and business advocacy groups, Shaheen's office said.
"New Hampshire is one of the country's greatest incubators for science and technology and I'm pleased to introduce the I-Squared Bill to ensure our state has the workforce to continue the innovation essential to New Hampshire's economy," Shaheen said. = New Hampshire Union Leader, 1/29/13
Shaheen is an original co-sponsor of this bill. Senators Orrin hatch (R. UT), Amy Klobuchar (D. MN), Marco Rubio (R. FL) and Chris Coons (D. DE). The legislation would increase green cards and visas for highly skilled workers working in science and technology. It will also help students from foreign countries who are graduating from American universities with degrees in science and technology:
"The I-Squared Bill will also increase funding for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education throughout the United States by raising application fees for employment-based visas and green cards," according to a statement from Shaheen's office.
"Individuals with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are critical to U.S. competitiveness and should be given priority for permanent resident status," wrote leadership from Texas Instruments in a letter of support. - New Hampshire Union Leader, 1/29/13
The bill has received high praise from TechNet:
http://www.prnewswire.com/...
"The Immigration Innovation Act represents an important step forward in immigration reform by addressing one of the major challenges our country faces: the need for immigration laws to help United States companies attract and retain the best innovators from around the world, while also creating a new and sustainable funding stream to enhance the United States STEM education pipeline," said President and CEO of TechNet Rey Ramsey. - PR Newswire, 1/29/13
Glad to see Shaheen help lead in the efforts in the movement for comprehensive immigration reform. If you would like to donate to her re-election campaign, please do so:
https://secure.actblue.com/...