December 5, 2008
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House
H.R. 323, Employee Educational Assistance Act of 1999

Sponsor: Rep. Sander Levin, D-MI
Co-Sponsors: 122 (83 D, 39 R)
Introduced: Jan. 19, 1999
Description: H.R. 323 would make permanent a tax benefit that allows workers to receive tax-free financial assistance from their employers for undergraduate school courses. It also would extend the benefit to cover graduate courses.

H.R. 455, "a bill to provide grants to certain local educational agencies to provide integrated classroom-related computer training for elementary and secondary school teachers," introduced by Rep. Lois Capps, D-CA.

H.R. 838, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for information technology training expenses paid or incurred by the employer, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep. James Moran, D-VA
Co-Sponsors: 25 (20 D, 5 R)
Introduced: Feb. 24, 1999
Description: H.R. 838 would provide a tax credit for employers for 20 percent of their information technology training expenses up to $6,000 a year. Companies could get a tax credit of up to 25 percent if they are located in certain areas such as empowerment and enterprise zones.

H.R. 2687, Bring Resources from Academia to the Industry of our Nation Act (BRAIN)

Sponsor: Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-CA
Co-sponsors: 23, (14 D, 9 R)
Introduced: August 3, 1999
Description: The bill would establish a five-year pilot program creating a new category of temporary worker visas eligible for international students graduating from U.S. universities or colleges with degrees in engineering and the sciences who are hired by technology companies at a compensation level of $60,000 a year or more. It would allow those who receive these visas to stay in the United States for five years. It also would require companies to pay a $1,000 filing fee per visa that would be dedicated to a "high-tech academic trust fund." The fund would be used to enhance science and math education in kindergarten through 12th grade

H.R. 3983, Helping to Improve Technology Education and Achievement Act of 2000

Introduced: March 15, 2000
Sponsor: Rep. David Dreier, R-CA; Co-sponsors: 30 (16 D/ 14 R)
Description: The bill would raise the current cap on H-1B visas, temporary visas for skilled foreigners, to 200,000 for fiscal years 2001-2003. The cap for FY 2001 is currently 107,500 and 65,000 for 2002 and 2003. The bill also would raise the fee per visa from $500 to $1,000. It would use the additional money to increase funding for a loan forgiveness program for math and science teachers, provide money for National Science Foundation scholarships for low-income students studying science or math and create regional skill alliances to address regional skilled worker shortages through public-private partnerships. It also would allow visas not used by some countries to be applied to others where there is a high demand. In addition, under the bill, H-1B visa holders who have applied for permanent employment-based residency could continue to work in the United States under the H-1B program while their application is being processed.

H.R. 4227, Technology Worker Temporary Relief Act

Introduced: April 11, 2000
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX; Co-sponsors: 2 (2 R)
Description: The bill would eliminate the cap on H-1B visas, employment visas that allow skilled foreign workers to work in the United States for up to six years, for 2000-2002. It includes several anti-fraud and worker protection measures. Among the provisions, the bill would require companies to pay H-1B holders at least $40,000 a year, except for those who work for colleges or universities, require the Labor Department to post information about H-1B holders on the Internet, eliminate a provision in current law allowing work experience instead of a degree for H-1B applicants and require the State Department to verify those degrees. H-1B holders also would have to pay a $100 special fee for anti-fraud measures. It also would shift responsibility for counting the number of H-1B visas that have been used from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to the State Department.

Senate
S. 211, Employee Educational Assistance Act

Sponsor: Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-NY
Co-sponsors: 23 (14D, 9R)
Introduced: Jan. 19, 1999
Description: S. 211 would permanently extend a tax benefit that allows workers to receive up to $5,250 in tax-free annual tuition assistance from their employers for undergraduate education and also would restore coverage for graduate level education.
S. 456, A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for information technology training expenses paid or incurred by the employer, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND
Cosponsors: 12 (11 D, 1 R)
Introduced: Feb. 24, 1999
Description: The bill would allow employers to claim a tax credit for up to 20 percent or $6,000 per worker of the information technology training expenses they incur in a year. Employers could receive an additional 5 percent for operating a worker training program in enterprise and empowerment zones or federal disaster areas.
S. 491, "a bill to enable America's schools to use their computer hardware to increase student achievement and prepare students for the 21st century workplace," introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ.
S. 1440, Bill to increase H-1b visas

Sponsor: Sen. Phil Gramm, R-TX
Cosponsors: 4 (4 R)
Introduced: July 27, 1999

Description: The legislation would increase the number of H-1B visas for highly skilled foreigners to 200,000 for fiscal years 2000-2002. The cap for FY 2000 is currently 115,000. It also would eliminate a reduction in Social Security benefits for Americans under 70 who work and exceed certain income limits.
S. 2045, Bill to increase the cap on H-1B visas

Sponsor: Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Co-sponsors: 19 (16 R/3 D)
Introduced: Feb. 9, 2000

Description: The legislation would increase the cap on H-1B visas, non-immigrant visas that allow skilled foreigners to stay in the United States for up to six years, to 195,000 through 2002. The current cap is 115,000 but it will go down to 107,500 in 2001 and 65,000 in 2002 without congressional action. It would exempt from the cap those employed by institutions of higher education or government or nonprofit research facilities and graduate degree holders. It also addresses concerns over the per-country limits.

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