Press Release

H-1B Passage in Senate A Win for Semiconductor Industry

For Immediate Release
October 03, 2000

SAN JOSE, Calif. – October 3, 2000– The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) was pleased to see today that the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation that would expand the number of H-1B visas for highly skilled workers to 195,000 each year for the next three years. The SIA urges the U.S. House of Representatives to move quickly to approve this legislation and send the bill to President Clinton for his signature.

"The passage of this H1B legislation has been a top priority for the semiconductor industry this year and we are pleased to see it receive strong bipartisan support in the Senate," stated George Scalise, president of the SIA. "The bill passed today will give U.S. chip companies the ability to hire the highly skilled workers they need to maintain competitiveness, while granting significant protections to American workers."

The H-1B visa allows employers to hire highly trained foreign nationals for up to six years -a majority of H-1B workers hired by the semiconductor industry have either Masters or PhDs in scientific fields related to chip design or manufacturing. Under current law, a cap of 115,000 visas granted each year will go down to 107,500 next year and to 65,000 in 2002 unless Congress enacts new legislation. Semiconductor manufacturers and other high tech companies have been strong advocates for raising the visa limits and improving the green card process of hiring foreign nationals.

"The H-1B program represents a partial solution to a long-term problem - a lack of highly trained engineers. The SIA and its members invest millions of dollars each year to fund educational programs at the K-12, junior college, undergraduate and graduate levels in an effort to increase the number of Americans pursuing a math and science education," said Scalise.

The SIA has developed its own workforce and education programs to inform, inspire and attract students to the semiconductor industry. The SIA and its member companies have pledged nearly $2.5 million dollars this year for workforce and education programs that target K-12 students, professional development for teachers, undergraduate and graduate students and trade school/community college participants.

About the SIA
The SIA is the leading voice for the semiconductor industry and has represented U.S.-based manufacturers since 1977. SIA member companies comprise more than 90% of U.S.-based semiconductor production. Collectively, the chip industry employs a domestic workforce of 284,000 people. More information about the SIA can be found at www.semichips.org.

SIA CONTACT
Molly Marr
408-436-6600
mmarr_sia@attglobal.net

Daryl Hatano
408-436-6600
dhatano@sia-online.org