TechWonk Blog
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The start of the 115th Congress and the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20th present Washington with the opportunity to address the economic concerns voiced by voters last November. These concerns in part propelled the president-elect’s victory and resulted in Republican control of both the House and Senate. The tech industry will play a critical role in driving the [...]
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The conventional wisdom in Washington always holds to not expect much from divided government, and those expectations only lower heading into a presidential election year because hyper-partisanship can turn the landscape into frozen tundra. But for every rule there is an exception. Despite the fierce headwinds, issues that are important to the technology industry cut across party lines to find common [...]
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Previously I wrote that 2015 was predicted to be a year of gridlock, and yet despite deep partisanship in the nation’s capital, the tech sector saw several of our priorities passed into law. If lawmakers and the President build on that momentum, there are a number of priorities Congress could address this year to propel the growth and ingenuity of the tech sector and our economy, including: Judicial [...]
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An unexpected break from the norm happened in Washington last year – despite all predictions to the contrary, Congress and the President actually got to work and produced several bipartisan wins for the technology sector and our economy in general. We give credit where credit is due, and we applaud Congress and the President for working together to advance these policies in 2015 that affect the growth [...]
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Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), along with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Raúl Labrador (R-ID), are to be commended for introducing the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 213), a bipartisan bill that would help our most innovative companies attract the talented employees needed to keep our economy strong and our country competitive. Eliminating arbitrary per-country caps on employment-based green [...]
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Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first-published revelations in The Guardian about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance activities. A year can feel like a lifetime in Washington, and there can be no doubt that much has rapidly changed in the public debate about how Congress views the balance between the collection of information and the need to protect civil liberties. Last [...]
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This evening, ITI sent a letter to the House of Representatives commending the House on the progress that has been made on the USA Freedom Act to date and identifying the areas where more work needs to be done as the bill moves to the Senate. Consideration of the USA Freedom Act in the House of Representatives is an important step in the necessary surveillance reforms to restore trust in the U.S. [...]
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“The birthplace of the people who possess those minds is not a matter of great interest to us and neither should it be to anyone else. Bringing capable immigrants -- many of whom receive their educations at U.S. colleges and universities -- into our workforce expands our economic growth, makes our companies more competitive internationally and creates more jobs for all workers.” That’s the message [...]
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Local media always tout the addition of a handful of jobs in their communities. Just in the last few days, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel heralded, “Company's $2.3M Expansion to Create 10 Jobs in Woodburn.” WJTV Television reported, “Lighting Company Expanding in Columbia Brings 20 New Jobs.” And the Rhea Herald News highlighted, “La-Z-Boy Set to Add 25 New Jobs after County, City Deal.” Each of these [...]
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Throughout the summer, ITI and its member companies have joined with a broad coalition of religious groups, education advocates, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other business organizations to reinforce the national importance and urgency of immigration reform. One of the leading organizations we are partnering with is “Badges, Bibles, and Business,” a network of faith, law enforcement [...]