On February 7, William T. Archey (bio), President and CEO of AeA, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor on AeA’s competitiveness agenda, including access to qualified workers, government funded basic research, and improvement of American education.

Archey’s testimony during the hearing on "Finding Economic Solutions to Help America's Families" focused on the average high-tech worker, who earns 85% more than other average private sector workers. According to AeA’s most recent Cyberstates report, which uses U.S. Government Bureau of Labor and Statistics data, the tech industry represents 5.6 million workers and has began to rebound from the bubble bursting of 2000.

Archey quoting an executive from a $4 million Dallas based company with 55 employees recommended that the U.S. should be, “eliminating barriers to finding and developing talented employees” and if Congress can, “do this one thing we [industry] can figure out how to work around all the other system failures that stifle growth and the improvement of the human condition across our nation.”

This quote showed that it is not just big business but medium- and small-businesses alike that are suffering from the inability to attract and retain workers with the requisite science and mathematics backgrounds.

The hearing can be watched via the Congressional Archive’s webcast or Archey’s testimony can be read on the AeA website. 

For more information on America’s Competitiveness visit www.aeanet.org/competitiveness or contact john_palafoutas@aeanet.org.

John Palafoutas (bio)
Senior Vice President for Domestic Policy & Congressional Affairs

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AeA has recently added a free, new tool to help both federal and state government affairs professionals keep on top of their game:  Knowlegis, the first name in grassroots and legislator relationship online tools.

As you get ready for the new legislative season, we want to make sure you're taking full advantage of the features, data, and services available to you.  Our new Knowlegis tool will help you track Town Hall meetings, legislative press releases, follow staff as they come and go, create grassroots advocacy messages, and manage your lobbying visits.

This new resource has been added to the portfolio of online government affairs tools available exclusively to AeA members.  These additional tools include options to:

• track Legislative and Regulatory activity in all 50 states and the Federal Government;
• receive email notifications of new bills introduced or current bills that have been amended;
• research committee assignments and staff contacts in the U.S. Congress and in State Legislatures;
• and more.

For more information on these tools contact Jason Langsner or visit AeA's Online Legislative Action Center.

Marc-Anthony Signorino (bio)
Director, State Government Affairs

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Attend AeA's Upcoming Government-Industry Executive Interchange Register today for AeA's next Executive Interchange on March 7 at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, focusing on Teleworking and Mobility/Wireless Solutions.  These quarterly events have become DC's premier executive networking event bringing Federal CIOs, Program Managers, and Procurement Officials together with leaders from the high-tech industry to discuss their similar experiences, share insights, and exchange best practices. Select confirmed speakers from Government and high tech include: Paul Fleischmann, Director, Federal Security, Hewlett-Packard; John Garing, Chief Information Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), U.S. Dept. of Defense; Jesse Hoskins, Chief Human Capital Officer, Government Accountability Office (GAO); Janice Lilja, Assistant CIO, Telecommunications Services and Operations, USDA; Vickers Meadows, Chief Administrative Officer, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO); Tom Wilburn, Vice President, US Sales-Wireless, Cisco; and Chuck Wilsker, President & CEO, The Telework Coalition. For more information and for sponsorship opportunities, contact Goldy Kamali, Director, Federal Market Group, AeA, at 202.682.4432 or goldy_kamali@aeanet.org. Platinum Sponsors Gold Sponsors Silver Sponsor Greg Poersch (bio) Vice President, Government and Commercial Markets Group

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Foreign Graduate Applications to U.S. Schools

Change Over Previous Year
2004 - 2006

Source: Council of Graduate Schools

• After two years of decline, international applications to U.S. graduate science and engineering programs rose for the 2005-2006 academic year.  According to the Council of Graduate Schools, international applications to graduate engineering programs rose 17 percent after back to back annual declines of seven and 36 percent.  International applications to physical sciences programs rose 10 percent after back to back annual declines of two and 22 percent.  And international applications to life sciences programs rose 16 percent after back to back annual declines of two and 24 percent.
   

• The larger problem is that once these students graduate, they confront the bureaucratic morass of the U.S. immigration system to attain temporary work visas or permanent green cards.  We educate them and then basically tell them to go home.  This is absurd.  The tech industry has long argued that these bright minds should have green cards stapled to their diplomas.
   

• Policymakers need to be aware of the unintended consequences of keeping out the world’s best and brightest.  Foreign-born individuals represent one of every four scientists and engineers in the United States.  They account for over one million workers who contribute a tremendous amount of knowledge, talent, and innovation to the U.S. economy.  These people conduct research, apply for patents, and found companies that create thousands of high paying jobs.  When they are forced out the United States, we lose the jobs and innovation they would have created.

For more information on Industry Data and AeA Publications visit
www.aeanet.org/research

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