Washington Update: State of the Union; Immigration Reform

APLU President Peter McPherson offered his response to the State of the Union last week. APLU also joined many in the higher education community is supporting a proposed high-skilled immigration reform bill.

APLU President McPherson Offers Response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address

APLU President McPherson offered his thoughts on President Obama’s State of the Union address shortly after the President’s speech on January 20. He applauded the President’s commitment to science, research, and strong support for higher education. To read a full copy of his statement, please click here.

Higher Education Associations Endorse High-Skilled Immigration Reform Legislation, Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act

APLU joined the higher education community in sending a letter of endorsement of the high-skilled immigration reform bill, the Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act. The I-Squared bill, offered by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), uncaps the exemption from the annual H-1B visa limit for advanced degree graduates of U.S. universities and exempts advanced degree graduates with STEM degrees from the employment-based green card cap among other important related reforms.

Importantly, the legislation also defers to the Department of Homeland Security’s STEM list to define STEM. Therefore, unlike the 2013 Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform bill, agricultural and natural resource sciences are included within the definition of STEM.