4/25/2007

Compete America, a coalition committed to ensuring that the United States has the highly educated workforce necessary for continued innovation and job creation, joined with the leaders of American business and higher education in calling on Congress to enact vital legislation needed to secure America’s competitive position in the worldwide economy.

“Innovation is the key to America’s economic leadership, yet we are in danger of falling behind our international competitors in many critical areas,” said Robert Hoffman, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at Oracle and Co-Chair of Compete America. “Congress must act now to help ensure that we have both the tools and the educated workforce necessary for the U.S. economy to continue to grow.”

The “American Innovation Proclamation,” signed by 270 leaders of American business and higher education, was presented to all Members of Congress, calling on them to:

• Double the basic research budgets at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the Department of Defense;
• Improve student achievement in math and science through increased funding of proven programs and incentives for science and math teacher recruitment and professional development;
• Reform U.S. visa policies to welcome highly educated foreign professionals, particularly those holding advanced science, technology, engineering, or mathematics degrees from U.S. universities; and
• Make permanent a strengthened R&D Tax Credit to encourage continued private-sector innovation investment.

“A key pillar of the innovation agenda is to reform the employment-based green card and H-1B visa programs to allow U.S. employers to recruit and retain highly educated foreign talent,” Hoffman stated.  “America benefits when the world’s brightest minds are put to work here, driving innovation and creating quality jobs.”