Cornyn Hearing to Push Skil Bill - Part 1
Cornyn Hearing to Push Skil Bill - Part 1
Date: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 8:26 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1549 -- 09/05/2006 >>>>>
Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) is on a new campaign to push the Skil bill, which he
sponsored in the Senate. The reason that Cornyn wants the Skil bill is that
it has huge increases in H-1B, Green Cards, and of course it creates the
new F-4. Cornyn has rarely seen a guest worker bill he didn't like, so it's
no surprise he wants to push H-1B.
Three articles of shortage-shouting hype are included for this newsletter,
the first one co-authored by Stuart Anderson, an H-1B shill that has worked
for a long list of organizations that lobby for increased H-1B visas. Some
of his most notorious associations have been with the American Immigration
Law Foundation (AILF) and the National Foundation for American Policy
(NFAP).
As a skilled propagandist, Anderson specializes in giving false choices.
This is a prime example:
We should ask ourselves a simple question: Is it better to educate
international students and send them abroad to work for U.S.
competitors, or to assimilate these talented individuals to create
jobs and innovation here in America?
The answer is very simple - let's just don't educate so many international
students and then we won't be forced into the fallacy called a "Morton's
Fork". The fact is that taxpayers subsidize every foreign student because
even out-of-state tuition doesn't pay the entire cost to our universities.
Stuart Anderson avoids the real question: Why should taxpayers subsidize
the educations of foreign students who will compete with them for jobs?
For those of you that don't know what a Morton's Fork is, here is my
favorite example:
"Either the nobles of this country appear wealthy, in which case
they can be taxed for good; or they appear poor, in which case
they are living frugally and must have immense savings, which
can be taxed for good."
Cornyn's sham hearing on H-1B took place a few days ago. You can get a
sneak preview by clicking the link below. I will review the hearing in Part
2 of this series.
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1801
Articles in this Newsletter
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/15405470.htm
Dealing with a dearth of H-1B visa slots
http://news.pajamasmedia.com/politics/2006/09/01/10587633_Cornyn_urges_mor.shtml
Cornyn urges more immigration
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15415940.htm
Cornyn urges more immigration
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/15405470.htm
Posted on Thu, Aug. 31, 2006
Dealing with a dearth of H-1B visa slots
By MARK G. HEESEN and STUART ANDERSON
Special to the Star-Telegram
A focus on illegal immigration has overshadowed the need to reform
America's system for skilled immigrants. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, will
oversee a field hearing Thursday at the University of Texas at Dallas that
may start to correct this problem.
Because Congress has failed to allocate enough H-1B visas, U.S. employers
often must wait more than a year to hire a skilled foreign national. In
nine of the past 11 years, employers used up the entire H-1B quota before
the fiscal year ended; in the past three years, employers exhausted the
quota before the fiscal year started.
H-1B visas are essential -- there is no other way to hire an outstanding
international student off a U.S. campus, or a researcher/professional from
abroad. The wait is five years or more in the skilled green-card categories
(for permanent residence) because Congress also has failed to raise those
quotas.
Companies employ many outstanding Americans, but to compete globally, U.S.
firms also must hire top talent without regard to place of birth. Current
visa limits have caused U.S. companies to hire and place more personnel
outside the U.S.
Ill-conceived immigration policies may discourage students from coming to
America to start a career. In fact, first-time science and engineering
graduate enrollment for international students declined for the third year
in a row in 2004, according to the National Science Foundation.
In 2005, U.S. universities awarded 55 percent of master's degrees and 67
percent of Ph.D.s in electrical engineering to foreign nationals. Simply
put, when U.S. companies recruit off college campuses, they find many of
the potential new hires to be foreign nationals.
Under the law, U.S. employers must pay foreign nationals hired on H-1B
visas as much as similar American professionals. Moreover, companies
typically pay $6,000 in various legal and government fees, which have
funded more than 40,000 scholarships for U.S. college students in science
and engineering, according to research by the National Foundation for
American Policy.
Cornyn's bill (S 2691), which was included as part of the Senate's broader
immigration bill passed in May, would largely solve the key problems facing
skilled immigrants and innovative American employers.
It would raise the annual cap on H-1B visas from 65,000 to 115,000, provide
for market-based increases in future years and add broader exemptions for
those with advanced degrees. In addition, recognizing that it makes no
sense to train and educate people and then ask them to leave the country,
the bill makes it easier for international students to transition to work
and provide an increase in green cards so that highly skilled individuals
could stay, innovate and prosper in America.
During the past two decades, skilled immigrants have created many
leading-edge companies.
A good example is Houston-based Tanox, which employs 182 people. Tanox
founder Dr. Nancy Chang came to America from Taiwan as an international
student. After completing her degree at Harvard Medical School, she was
hired on a visa by a U.S. pharmaceutical company.
In 1986, with the help of venture capital, she co-founded Tanox with the
goal of developing an asthma drug that focused on the allergy-related basis
of asthma. At the time, this ran counter to the central belief in how
asthma operated. The perseverance paid off in June 2003, when the Food and
Drug Administration approved Xolair to treat those with asthma related to
allergies.
Today, Tanox is developing TNX-355, an antibody for the treatment of
HIV/AIDS, and is in discussions with the FDA regarding clinical trials.
Chang, who holds seven patents, said she is passionate about AIDS because,
as a young researcher, she worked in one of the first laboratories to
confront the disease.
"As an international student, I came to the United States frightened and
scared. But I found if you do well and if you have a dream, you will find
people in America willing to help and give you an opportunity," said Chang.
When we maintain rational employment-based immigration policies, we help
ourselves and play to America's unique strength as a nation of immigrants.
We should ask ourselves a simple question: Is it better to educate
international students and send them abroad to work for U.S. competitors,
or to assimilate these talented individuals to create jobs and innovation
here in America?
We think that Nancy Chang could tell you the answer.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://news.pajamasmedia.com/politics/2006/09/01/10587633_Cornyn_urges_mor.shtml
Cornyn urges more immigration
Categories: social issue / demographics / immigration / politics /
migration / United States
Recently in politics 2006/09/01:
RICHARDSON, Sep. 1, 2006 (McClatchy-Tribune Business News delivered by
Newstex) --
The United States needs to admit far more highly skilled immigrants to stay
competitive economically, according to experts at a hearing hosted by U.S.
Sen. John Cornyn.
Letting in more qualified immigrants will help the country combat huge
personnel shortages in high tech, engineering, nursing and other fields,
said Cornyn, R-Texas, and the five witnesses who testified before him
Thursday at the University of Texas at Dallas.
"By all accounts, our immigration laws and policy place our country at a
competitive disadvantage," Cornyn said. "We stand in danger of moving
backwards because other countries are beginning to compete with us in our
own game."
Cornyn is chairman of the Senate's Immigration, Border Security and
Citizenship Subcommittee. He was the only congressional member at
Thursday's hearing.
Cornyn has proposed legislation that would increase the number of visas
from the current 65,000 a year to 115,000 a year for people with jobs
waiting in the United States. Cornyn's bill would base future increases on
the job market's demands.
His proposal was part of the immigration bill the Senate passed in May. But
the bill is at odds with a bill passed by the House that would make illegal
immigrants felons.
Bo Cooper, general counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service
from 1999 to 2003, testified that admitting more highly skilled workers
would bring the country's immigration policy in line with its economic
goals.
Other witnesses said countries such as Australia and Singapore are taking
advantage of America's immigration restrictions by attracting more highly
skilled immigrants.
Lance Kaplan, with the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on
International Personnel, testified that 70 percent of legal permanent
residents are highly skilled in Australia, compared with 16 percent of
legal permanent residents in the United States.
Patrick McGee, 817-685-3806 pmcgee@star-telegram.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15415940.htm
Posted on Fri, Sep. 01, 2006
Cornyn urges more immigration
By PATRICK McGEE
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
JOHN CORNYNRICHARDSON -- The United States needs to admit far more highly
skilled immigrants to stay competitive economically, according to experts
at a hearing hosted by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Letting in more qualified immigrants will help the country combat huge
personnel shortages in high tech, engineering, nursing and other fields,
said Cornyn, R-Texas, and the five witnesses who testified before him
Thursday at the University of Texas at Dallas.
"By all accounts, our immigration laws and policy place our country at a
competitive disadvantage," Cornyn said. "We stand in danger of moving
backwards because other countries are beginning to compete with us in our
own game."
Cornyn is chairman of the Senate's Immigration, Border Security and
Citizenship Subcommittee. He was the only congressional member at
Thursday's hearing.
Cornyn has proposed legislation that would increase the number of visas
from the current 65,000 a year to 115,000 a year for people with jobs
waiting in the United States. Cornyn's bill would base future increases on
the job market's demands.
His proposal was part of the immigration bill the Senate passed in May. But
the bill is at odds with a bill passed by the House that would make illegal
immigrants felons.
Bo Cooper, general counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service
from 1999 to 2003, testified that admitting more highly skilled workers
would bring the country's immigration policy in line with its economic
goals.
Other witnesses said countries such as Australia and Singapore are taking
advantage of America's immigration restrictions by attracting more highly
skilled immigrants.
Lance Kaplan, with the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on
International Personnel, testified that 70 percent of legal permanent
residents are highly skilled in Australia, compared with 16 percent of
legal permanent residents in the United States.
Patrick McGee, 817-685-3806 pmcgee@star-telegram.com
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