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Democrats Object to Bipartisan STEM Jobs Act

Cornyn Pushes Bipartisan Immigration Bill

Dec 05 2012

WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) along with several of his colleagues went to the Senate floor to call up H.R. 6429, the bipartisan STEM Jobs Act, which passed the House earlier this week. Senate Democrats objected to the bill, which would boost job creation and spur economic growth by reallocating up to 55,000 green cards a year to the top foreign graduates of U.S. universities with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. 

You can watch Sen. Cornyn’s entire floor speech here.

“We all know that America’s immigration system is broken, but in particular by driving away highly skilled foreign workers who want to start businesses and create jobs right here in America.

“We are cultivating human capital and then sending those individuals back home. Now, this is an area where there is broad, broad support.”

The bipartisan STEM Jobs Act would establish new visa categories for 55,000 STEM graduates of American research institutions and it would eliminate the random diversity-visa lottery to offset the new green cards. It would also provide for a “V” visa, allowing immediate family members of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to be reunited and reside in this country while they wait in line for their green card to be issued. More information can be found from the House Judiciary Committee here.