Warlord
06-30-2013, 02:45 AM
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/noda/actions/201203/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2012/03/30/29KONDAN_Zuckerberg2.jpg?w=496&s=100000
Zuck and co really want the 140,000 H1-B visa allocation and are determined to support a monstrosity of a bill to get it.
Notice they say the 3 weeks after July 10th is absolutely crucial. If you're against this bill now is the time to raise hell. Contact your CONGRESSMAN (http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/). Go see him at a town hall or other event over July 4th.
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The tech industry scored two major victories on immigration this week, but its toughest legislative battle on the issue lies ahead in the House.
The passage of the Senate’s immigration bill is the closest the tech industry has come in recent years to its primary goals of raising the H-1B visa cap and securing more green cards for highly skilled foreign workers. But tech companies, like other stakeholders pushing for immigration reform, are only at the 50-yard line.
“We want to see the process move forward and this week it did, in a big way,” said Andy Halataei, director of government relations at the Information Technology Industry Council. “We have to keep pushing. How and when and exactly what's going to happen, I don't think anyone knows.”
Tech companies face a fresh set of political challenges in the Republican-controlled House. The lower chamber’s path forward on immigration legislation is unclear and time is running out for action.
The tech industry hopes the murkiness will recede when the House Republican Conference meets on July 10, after lawmakers return from recess. While final decisions may not be made during the meeting, tech representatives view the meeting as the next key marker in the immigration debate and hope to get a better lay of the land on how the GOP leadership plans to tackle the issue.
That includes whether House Republicans plan to bring the piecemeal bills passed out of the House Judiciary Committee to the floor before Congress breaks for August recess.
“After that [meeting], the following three weeks are going to be the most important three weeks to see action on the House side and see where this is going,” said Veronica O’Connell, vice president of congressional affairs at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The industry remains undeterred despite the outstanding question marks, arguing that it has too much riding on the passage of immigration reform for political momentum to die in the House.
“I think from our perspective, failure is not really an option,” said Peter Muller, director of government relations at Intel. “We've been waiting so long to address these issues.
“We’ve seen it can be achieved in the Senate. How it can be achieved in the House is uncertain, but if it can't get done now, it's never going to get done,” Muller added.
The tech industry took a hard blow when immigration legislation unraveled in 2007 and it is working hard to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself this time.
“We're going to use every tool that we can come up with to try to encourage lawmakers to complete this bill this year and to finally address the high-skilled immigration challenges we have been facing,” Muller said.
That strategy also includes getting face time with top House leaders, according to CEA’s O’Connell.
“We're going to keep the drum beat going,” she said. “We're going to meet with leadership on both sides of the House and keep up our messaging.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/308555-silicon-valley-prepares-to-push-house-toward-immigration-reform#ixzz2Xgfh2nMs
Zuck and co really want the 140,000 H1-B visa allocation and are determined to support a monstrosity of a bill to get it.
Notice they say the 3 weeks after July 10th is absolutely crucial. If you're against this bill now is the time to raise hell. Contact your CONGRESSMAN (http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/). Go see him at a town hall or other event over July 4th.
-
The tech industry scored two major victories on immigration this week, but its toughest legislative battle on the issue lies ahead in the House.
The passage of the Senate’s immigration bill is the closest the tech industry has come in recent years to its primary goals of raising the H-1B visa cap and securing more green cards for highly skilled foreign workers. But tech companies, like other stakeholders pushing for immigration reform, are only at the 50-yard line.
“We want to see the process move forward and this week it did, in a big way,” said Andy Halataei, director of government relations at the Information Technology Industry Council. “We have to keep pushing. How and when and exactly what's going to happen, I don't think anyone knows.”
Tech companies face a fresh set of political challenges in the Republican-controlled House. The lower chamber’s path forward on immigration legislation is unclear and time is running out for action.
The tech industry hopes the murkiness will recede when the House Republican Conference meets on July 10, after lawmakers return from recess. While final decisions may not be made during the meeting, tech representatives view the meeting as the next key marker in the immigration debate and hope to get a better lay of the land on how the GOP leadership plans to tackle the issue.
That includes whether House Republicans plan to bring the piecemeal bills passed out of the House Judiciary Committee to the floor before Congress breaks for August recess.
“After that [meeting], the following three weeks are going to be the most important three weeks to see action on the House side and see where this is going,” said Veronica O’Connell, vice president of congressional affairs at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The industry remains undeterred despite the outstanding question marks, arguing that it has too much riding on the passage of immigration reform for political momentum to die in the House.
“I think from our perspective, failure is not really an option,” said Peter Muller, director of government relations at Intel. “We've been waiting so long to address these issues.
“We’ve seen it can be achieved in the Senate. How it can be achieved in the House is uncertain, but if it can't get done now, it's never going to get done,” Muller added.
The tech industry took a hard blow when immigration legislation unraveled in 2007 and it is working hard to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself this time.
“We're going to use every tool that we can come up with to try to encourage lawmakers to complete this bill this year and to finally address the high-skilled immigration challenges we have been facing,” Muller said.
That strategy also includes getting face time with top House leaders, according to CEA’s O’Connell.
“We're going to keep the drum beat going,” she said. “We're going to meet with leadership on both sides of the House and keep up our messaging.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/308555-silicon-valley-prepares-to-push-house-toward-immigration-reform#ixzz2Xgfh2nMs