Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) thinks there is a shortage of high tech workers. Even worse, she thinks the H-1B training fund should be used to graduate more technical workers to glut the labor market even worse than it already is.

Subject: Correspondence from Senator Hutchison

Dear [name removed]:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns about H-1B visas. I appreciate knowing your views.

As you may know, Congress recently passed S. 2045, the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act, which increases for three years the number of temporary work visas, or H-1B visas, for certain skilled workers, particularly in high technology fields. Specifically, the H-1B visa limit will be raised to 195,000 each year for three years, starting in fiscal year 2001. This legislation also provides increased educational assistance programs to U.S. workers, to help obtain the skills that are needed for high technology jobs. This legislation was signed into law by President Clinton on October 17, 2000.

The high technology sector in Texas and across the United States depends on qualified workers with strong credentials in engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Regrettably, there are not enough qualified U.S. citizens available today to meet the needs of our high-tech companies. For these reasons, I supported the temporary increase in the H-1B visa limits, coupled with improved training and education programs for U.S. workers.

While separate legislation increased the H-1B fee from $500 to $1,000, S. 2045 makes changes in the use of the H-1B fees. The fees will now, in part, be used for training funds for skills that are in information technology shortage areas. The fees will also be used to increase math, science and technology education grants for students from kindergarten through high school.

I am proud that Texas is leading the way in high-technology innovation and entrepreneurship. You may be sure that I will continue to support programs that help to meet the workforce needs of the high-tech sector. At the same time, we must do all we can to offer educational and other advancement opportunities to all workers, and to prevent abuses of the immigration system.

Thank you again for sharing your views. Please do not hesitate to contact me again regarding issues of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Kay Bailey Hutchison

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