IMMIGRATION INNOVATION ACT OF 2013

Sometime in September of 2012, I wrote in this column about a “Cause That Both Parties Could Support”.  I mentioned what Gary Spiro, President of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Innovation Movement, was proposing a cause that both the Republican and Democratic Parties could support. As a member of both the CEA and the Innovation Movement, I expressed my full support for the cause.

Specifically, Spiro was referring to certain bills in Congress, “which would allow U.S. companies to attract and retain immigrants with degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and create a new green card for foreign-born entrepreneurs who begin startups and create jobs;” and “which would give foreign investors and certain highly educated students a streamlined path to citizenship.” He also supported the bill that “would eliminate the Diversity Immigrant Program and reallocate those visas (about 55,000 a year) to immigrants with advanced degrees.” He called it at the time “strategic immigration”.

Gary Spiro also wrote about a study which found that 84 percent of patents had a foreign-born inventor. He also cited that in the equally critical healthcare sector, 79 percent of patents for pharmaceutical drugs or drug compounds were invented or co-invented by someone foreign-born.

He argued that Innovation could be a centerpiece for job creation. I agreed with him.

Under this new Congress, a bill known as Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 has been introduced by a bipartisan group of 10 senators that includes Republican Senator Marco Rubio. It proposes, among others, the increase of the H-1B visa cap from 65,000 to 115,000 with a “market-based…escalator,” that could allow the cap to adjust to as high as 300,000. It would also free up unused green cards to be used in subsequent years and exempt certain categories of immigrants from the annual cap.

Rubio, in his remarks, had to say “You cannot comprehensively reform America’s legal immigration system if it does not include visa provisions for graduates in science technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Several IT companies expressed resounding support for the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013. IBM Governmental Programs Vice President Christopher Padilla in a statement said, “These elements are critical for companies like ours so that we can support our clients and drive economic growth.”

Intel’s director of government relations, Peter Muller wrote, “the current focus on immigration reform presents the best opportunity we have seen in years to make needed fixes to the employment side of the immigration equation and the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 is an excellent start.”

Microsoft General Counsel and Executive Vice President Brad Smith released a statement saying, “Today’s introduction in the Senate of the bipartisan Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 is a major step forward. This legislation addresses the country’s immigration and education needs in a thoughtful and impactful manner.”

Aside from Marco Rubio, the other Senators leading the campaign are Republicans Jeff Flake (R-Ariz), John McCain (R-Ariz), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Democratic Senators Dick Durbin (D0Ill.), Roberto Menendez (D-N.J), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).