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Not long after the introduction of the Senate’s Gang of 8 (G8) comprehensive immigration reform bill, one of its leading members and voices, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), called the introduced legislation “a starting point” and applauded those Americans who have already stepped forward to raise “legitimate points and suggestions on how to improve the bill.” Today, a collection of 55 national, state [...]
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The Senate Judiciary Committee’s work this week on the Gang of 8 (G8) immigration reform bill could include an energetic debate on two competing views about temporary skilled visas – the H-1B (for those with Bachelor’s degrees or higher) and the L-1 (for managers, executives and those with specialized knowledge) – and how they impact U.S. workers and the U.S. economy. These views are represented in [...]
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When the leader of the free world walks through a door, it is usually the audience that is in a bit of awe. But today, when President Obama visited the Applied Materials campus in Austin, Tex., the tables were turned. After touring the facility and seeing the chip assembly facility and the precision with which the team there works, the president seemed genuinely impressed. It was incredible. [I [...]
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Back in July 2011, as the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee marked up and approved S. 1000, the Shaheen/Portman bill on energy efficiency, I couldn't get excited. Why? It was abundantly clear that the bill had no chance of enactment. With the 2012 election already looming, there was no momentum behind bipartisan energy legislation, even in the noncontroversial, low-hanging fruit area of [...]
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The Senate Judiciary Committee today begins what promises to be an ambitious effort over the next few weeks to review and consider amendments to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, otherwise known as the bipartisan “Gang of 8” immigration reform bill. The committee has a webcast of the markup. And here are some other resources that may be helpful [...]
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Following a 394-1 vote two weeks ago by the House of Representatives to pass the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, the Senate began looking at this issue this week with a hearing in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This is a promising sign for an issue that will affect numerous domestic industries if Congress does not act by the end of this fiscal year. Helium is a [...]
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As we inch closer to Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee markup of S. 744, the bipartisan Gang of 8 comprehensive immigration reform bill, ITI's Dean Garfield tonight talked with CNBC's Larry Kudlow about the link between immigration reform and economic growth. Here are highlights, or you can watch the entire interview here. ..... This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to align our immigration [...]
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ITI is back in Geneva this week to participate in the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP-11) of the Basel Convention -- an international treaty designed to control international shipments of hazardous waste. Governments, civil society, and the private sector are continuing our multi-year effort to construct international guidelines to stop the illegal flow of electronic waste to facilities in the [...]
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Expanding trade and economic opportunities was a primary focus as President Obama met Thursday for several hours with Mexican President Peña Nieto. At a joint news conference after their bilateral discussions, both presidents talked about the economic imperative of expanding trade not only between the two neighbors, but also with other regions of the world. President Nieto highlighted an agreement [...]
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President Obama today nominated two leaders for posts that are about, as their core mission, creating new U.S. jobs and building new global opportunities for America’s businesses. Mike Froman promises to be a strong leader as our next U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and his nomination comes at a critical juncture for U.S. trade policy. With the push to complete the Information Technology Agreement [...]
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