Washington, D.C.,
Sep 20, 2012 -
Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today expressed disappointment in the failure of H.R. 6429, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Jobs Act of 2012. The bill, introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith would create a new visa category for foreign-born graduates who have received doctorate degrees from United States universities in science, technology, engineering and math (the STEM fields). Visas not used by those who earned doctoral degrees would then become available to those with STEM master's degrees. Congressman Flake is a cosponsor of H.R. 6429.
“This is an idea I’ve been pushing for years, but unfortunately, Congress punted on it yet again,” said Flake.
“If the U.S. is going to remain globally competitive, we must work to keep highly-skilled workers in the U.S. after they’ve graduated from our schools.”
Congressman Flake introduced similar legislation, the STAPLE Act (H.R. 399), in the 110th, 11th, and 112th Congresses. The STAPLE Act would exempt from visa quotas foreign-born students who have earned a Ph.D. degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics from a U.S. university and have a job offer in the U.S.
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