Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Deborah Ross’ (NC-02) and Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (IL-08) amendments to support immigrants who are leading our nation’s STEM innovation passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the America COMPETES Act. This legislation will make historic investments to advance production of American-made semiconductors, tackle supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in America, and turbocharge America’s scientific research and technological leadership.

“Immigrants who come to America and help lead our innovation in STEM fields should not have to worry about whether they’ll be forced to leave,” said Congresswoman Ross. “In order to build a strong and diverse workforce ready to tackle our nation’s challenges, we must support the talented immigrants at the forefront of groundbreaking research and innovation happening every day in the Research Triangle and across the country. I’m pleased the House passed my commonsense amendments to the America COMPETES Act because there must be no question that immigrants who invest in America should be able to stay in America.”

“Embracing the best talent from around the world is critical to the success of our economy and our country, especially in critical STEM fields,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “As we continue to expand our domestic talent pool in STEM arenas, our legislation will help our country attract and retain world-leading talent by expanding the COMPETES Act’s green card cap exemption for those with STEM field doctorates to those with doctorates in crucial health care specialties as well as those with non-doctoral advanced degrees in STEM working in critical industries.”

The America COMPETES Act includes a green card cap exemption for immigrants with doctorates in STEM fields. The Representatives’ amendments would:

• Expand the bill’s green card cap exemption for individuals with doctorates in STEM fields to include individuals with doctorates in these health care fields; and
• Expand the green card cap exemption to include individuals with advanced degrees (not only doctorates) in STEM fields who work in critical industries. Reps. Ross and Krishnamoorthi joined Reps. Kathy Manning (NC-06) and Scott Peters (CA-52) in offering this amendment.

Rep. Ross is a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, represents much of the Research Triangle, and is a consistent advocate of making bold investments in STEM research, education, and innovation.

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