2007 High Tech Priorities

Promoting an Innovative Economy

• Drive improvements in math and science education. Promote legislation that will improve student achievement and increase the number of students pursuing and graduating in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields; and provide incentives to teachers and other professionals for obtaining advanced training in STEM areas.
• Attract the best and brightest workers by reforming high skilled immigration policy.  Reform highly educated worker and student visa programs to enable American businesses to attract and retain the world’s most talented scientists and engineers.
• Invest in basic research to spur innovation.  Work to increase funding for basic research at universities and government institutions that serve as catalysts for new products and innovations.
• Encourage global competition and economic growth through tax policy reforms.  Promote continued expansion and permanency of the R&D tax credit; and advocate tax policies that will stimulate the technology sector, including a reexamination of national and international tax structure.

• Improve health care quality by passing health IT legislation.  Urge passage of legislation that will drive the adoption of an interoperable health information network and ensure industry-wide interoperability standards.
• Encourage innovation through patent reform.  Urge passage of a patent reform bill that addresses both litigation reform and patent quality; and promote efforts to safeguard American intellectual property around the world.
• Protect consumer privacy by promoting market-driven solutions.  Support technology-neutral, federal policies that would encourage the use of market-driven solutions to prevent identity theft and other criminal actions.
• Encourage the use of environmentally friendly technology.  Create incentives in the market place for the use of energy-efficient technology; and educate Congress regarding the functionality and features of effective power management practices.
• Foster a vibrant online commerce marketplace.  Promote policy to stimulate growth within the e-commerce sector, such as permanently extending the moratorium on Internet access taxes and opposing discriminatory taxes and discriminatory reporting requirements for online transactions.
• Facilitate widespread use of broadband technology. Minimize regulation on advanced broadband technologies and innovative new Internet services; promote incentives for broadband deployment; and allocate additional spectrum for broadband and other new services.

• Improve market access for American companies.  Eliminate trade barriers on a wide range of IT, telecom and media products through the World Trade Organization; support efforts to renew Trade Promotion Authority; and promote passage of additional bilateral and regional free trade agreements.
• Encourage U.S. innovation in the global market place.  Ensure that the Information Technology Agreement is enforced and keeps pace with innovation and expands in both new membership and additional product coverage.
• Help American workers compete in the global economy by expanding Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).  Broaden the TAA program to include service workers in order to reflect today’s innovation economy and help the American workforce better cope with global trade.
• Promote U.S. national security leadership.  Support export control policies that engage international partners and allies, especially China and India, and permit American businesses to continue to lead worldwide.