|
|  |
|
Lobbying
Techies Take Labor Message To Lawmakers At Home
by Heather Greenfield
Small and medium-sized technology companies have been meeting with members of Congress in their home districts this week to emphasize that they need more visas for highly skilled workers this year -- or more companies will move jobs to other countries.
AeA chief Bill Archey, whose tech association helped arrange visits with members of Congress in seven districts, said the group is having small and medium-sized companies do the talking because the shortage of H-1Bs disproportionately affects them. Archey said a visa delay is a serious problem when a small business is depending on them for one of its 30 jobs.
"Members of Congress know what the big guys think," Archey said. But he said appeals from smaller companies in their own districts are likely to carry more weight.
Archey said he hopes the visits help clear up any misunderstanding that American scientists and engineers are available and companies want the visas so they can pay foreign workers less. He said the message from companies will be, "You're forcing us to go offshore not because of the cheapness of the labor but because the labor has the right skills."
A measure in the immigration bill that stalled in the Senate this summer would have nearly doubled the 65,000 H-1B visas currently available each fiscal year to businesses. But several tech lobbyists speaking on background said a comprehensive bill is unlikely this year after the Senate failed to win enough votes to limit debate.
"The issue is not dead for us and is affecting our companies significantly," AeA lobbyist John Palafoutas said. "It can't wait for two years."
So far there is not a stand-alone bill in Congress to boost the number of H-1B visas. An aide for Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said he may introduce one in September.
During a late-night session last month, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tried to amend an education bill, H.R. 2669, to increase H-1B visas, but his amendment was rebuffed on a procedural vote.
Oregon Republican Gordon Smith, who chairs the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, said in a statement that more H-1Bs is still a top priority and task force members will look for other opportunities to move the proposal.
The issue also is a top priority for the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They sent a letter to senators this month that notes how they helped lobby for measures to increase the mathematics, science and engineering skills of American workers. President Bush signed legislation this month to authorize funds to improve math and science education.
The letter said that while the impact of that takes effect, however, more visas are needed to address the current skilled-worker shortages. "These shortages and inefficient processes often force some of our members to move certain operations to other countries so that they are able to recruit the workers they need," the groups stated.
| |
|
Budget
Emergency Wireless Project's Funding Is Questioned
by Andrew Noyes
A multi-agency project aimed at creating a wireless communications network that would connect police and other emergency responders across jurisdictions could lose a chunk of its federal allowance in fiscal 2008, according to House and Senate appropriations committee reports.
The Justice, Homeland Security and Treasury departments already have spent $195 million on the program, which could have a $5 billion price tag by 2021, according to some estimates. It has also gained the attention of Justice's inspector general.
The initiative would update outdated land-mobile radio systems by incorporating cellular telephones and walkie-talkies to provide reliable, secure wireless capabilities for 81,000 agents nationwide. But a March IG report drew attention to its "disparate funding mechanisms" and inadequate documentation.
The integrated wireless network, known as IWN, is currently one of the most expensive items in Justice's information technology basket and it is at high risk of failure, the report stated. Unless the deficiencies are addressed, such a system "may not be developed and the resulting separate agency communications systems may not be adequate in the event of another terrorist attack or natural disaster."
The House-passed appropriations bill, H.R. 3093, would fund the project at $81.3 million -- the same as the agency's budget estimate. But the Senate measure, S. 1745, would provide $76.3 million. The program got $89 million in fiscal 2007.
In the Senate committee report, lawmakers expressed concern about "lagging progress, as well as the recurring costs of the conversion" to narrowband operations. The panel also noted that an aging infrastructure has been an impediment to implementation.
Despite six years of development and a heap of money, the project resulted in some test systems, but law enforcement agents have received little by way of new, secure, compliant radio equipment, the IG report said. The program's collapse "would represent a significant missed opportunity" for federal, state and local agencies, officials added.
In Justice's response, the agency admitted IWN "has clearly not progressed as rapidly as desired" but said the report did not accurately reflect progress that has been made. Justice bought thousands of new digital radios and launched interoperability channels in 10 cities that facilitate communication between counterparts in federal, state and local agencies.
Pennsylvania Democrat Christopher Carney, chairman of the House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee told Technology Daily that "the 'I' in IWN must have meaning if this system is going to work." The program will never be integrated if coordination is not improved, he said.
But federal agencies that would benefit from IWN "are suffering from the same frustrations as local public-safety agencies when it comes to replacing obsolete communications systems with reliable ones," said Charlottesville, Va., Fire Chief Charles Werner, a member of the Homeland Security Department's SafeCom executive committee.
"Agencies have very significant communications needs today," but preparedness dollars are dwindling, he said. "I truly hope they find a way to meet their communications needs -- they are a very deserving group of dedicated federal agents."
| |
|
Politics
Mississippi Scramble To Replace Rep. Pickering Begins
by Mark Wegner, CongressDaily
Thursday's retirement announcement by Rep. Charles (Chip) Pickering prompted a slew of candidates on Friday to start exploring a run for his solidly Republican 3rd District in Mississippi as national GOP strategists are left with yet another open seat to defend in 2008.
Former Democratic Rep. Ronnie Shows, who lost a redistricting-induced contest with Pickering in 2002, said he is strongly considering a comeback. "I'm interested in it," Shows said. "I couldn't look at you with a straight face and tell you I'm not. The district is still the same, but the attitude is different."
Shows, a development consultant, said many voters are disappointed with Republican handling of the Iraq war and federal finances. Pickering defeated Shows 64 percent to 35 percent in 2002 after the state lost a seat and a redistricting plan created a district that included about 60 percent of Pickering's old turf.
Other potential Democratic candidates include state Rep. Joe Warren and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Shows said Warren has encouraged him to run but told him that if he does not, "He'd like to take a stab."
One top-tier Republican, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, issued a statement saying she would not run. Tuck is term-limited in her current office.
Mississippi Republican Party Executive Director Arnie Hederman expressed confidence that Republicans will retain the district, where President Bush won 65 percent in 2004. "I would expect you'll have anywhere from eight to 10 [Republicans] running for this district," he said.
Various sources said possible GOP contenders include state Treasurer Tate Reeves; Mississippi Development Authority official Whit Hughes; state Rep. Sam Mims; state Sen. Walter Michel; former state Sen. Charlie Ross, who just lost the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor; and Jim Perry, who is policy director for GOP Gov. Haley Barbour.
The winner will be replacing a lawmaker who has taken an interest in telecommunications policy as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. "I continue to view public service as a noble calling," Pickering said. "I am not saying a final farewell, but hopefully, simply taking a leave of absence."
A former aide to Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., Pickering has harbored ambitions to run for the Senate, but that path has been blocked by Lott's re-election last year and plans by GOP Sen. Thad Cochran to run for re-election.
As of his June disclosure report, Pickering had more than $870,000 on hand.
Pickering's retirement adds to a list of GOP retirements that include Reps. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio, in a week when White House strategist Karl Rove also announced his departure. Both parties in recent days have put Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., whose wife's business was raided by the FBI in April, on the retirement "watch list."
One Democratic strategist said Pickering's decision compounds GOP problems with retirements. "This is another distraction that Republicans are going to have to deal with," the strategist said.
| |
|
Editor's note: The following two stories are part of a series of articles on the technology policy views and technology uses by presidential candidates.
Politics
Lower Tier Tries Tech Tools For Innovative Campaigning
by Sarah Myers
Presidential candidates are trying everything they can to discover the next big thing in technology and politics -- from text-messaging and song contests to interviews in college dormitories. But the candidates who rank lower in the polls often tend to be the ones on the frontlines of innovation.
"The lowest-tier candidates appear to be using technology in more experimental ways," said Julie Barko Germany, deputy director of George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. "When you're a candidate seriously running for the presidential nomination, you have to be guaranteed that it'll have a positive result. But the lower-tier candidates really have nothing to lose."
Democratic candidate Mike Gravel blogs regularly on sites like The Huffington Post, while another Democrat, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, made an offer on his Web site to hold a national conference call for supporters holding debate watch parties. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, also a Democrat, features daily blog roundups on his campaign site.
On the Republican side, Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado routinely uploads "Tancredo's Takes" to his YouTube channel. And still undeclared Republican candidate Fred Thompson has promised to be the first blogging president. (As a cast member of the television series "Law and Order," he also is the only candidate with a substantial profile on IMDB.com and in reruns on NBC.)
Republican Rep. Ron Paul of Texas granted an interview to YouTube phenomenon James Kotecki, a Georgetown University student who goes by the moniker "Emergency Cheese." That bit of nontraditional campaigning came as Paul's candidacy generated a vast network of Internet supporters who ensure that his videos become as ubiquitous on YouTube as skateboarding dogs and that articles referencing him appear at the top of the online news aggregator Digg.
Though Paul's campaign recognized that the Internet would play a significant role in the race from the beginning, the community grew on its own, campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said. "This is the first time that you really see the circle being completed," Benton said. "Action on the ground, like Ron talking about his message, drives people on the Internet, which drives more motion and energy, boots on the ground."
Kotecki, who gained recognition for video critiques of the candidates' use of YouTube, said some of Paul's success may derive from his libertarian bent. "It's the most logical place for his supporters to be," Kotecki said. "Not only is [the Web] a libertarian place, but it costs a lot less than other forms of media for him to be involved in."
Since the visit to his dorm room, Kotecki has received visits and calls from five candidates, including Democrats Mike Gravel and John Edwards, who is in the top tier.
Kotecki said Paul's appeal differs from that of another candidate popular online, Barack Obama. He said Obama's success is due more to his rhetoric, which appeals to the younger voters that are more likely to be active online.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio tried to engage citizens during the Democrats' CNN/YouTube debate in July. His 30-second video in the debate encouraged viewers to express their opposition to the Iraq war, and thus his candidacy, by text-messaging the word "peace."
Less-prominent candidates also spend more time blogging themselves than frontrunners -- and Germany said that is more effective than hiring bloggers. "What [online readers] really like is a bit more authenticity, and lower-tier candidates have a little more freedom in that region" because they have fewer time constraints, she said.
Though candidates with higher name recognition like Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. and John McCain, R-Ariz., use the Internet as a significant part of their outreach, their use of the technology appeals more to core supporters than undecided voters, Germany added.
Whether numbers online will translate into numbers at the polls is still up for debate. A Bentley College study found that a strong online presence does not necessarily convert to strong fundraising or voter support. Rudy Giuliani routinely polls far higher than Paul in the GOP race, though Paul leads in social-networking and Web traffic and Giuliani doesn't even have a profile at the popular Facebook social network.
Germany said one of the most important things candidates can do online is encourage users to take action and engage with the campaign. "You make people accountable to get people to show up to the vote; you get people to know each other," Germany said. "So if you know other people that support the candidate, you make accountability partners that make sure you stay active, donating, volunteering, voting."
| |
|
Politics
A Family Affair: Kin Of Candidates Take To The Web
by Sarah Myers
Even with the first primary contest months away, the 2008 presidential campaign has had its share of Internet celebrities, like "Obama girl" and "Giuliani girl." But perhaps the biggest online celebrity of the campaign so far is Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic candidate John Edwards.
Elizabeth Edwards has presented a formidable presence online, frequently blogging on sites like MyDD, granting interviews to Salon.com and making friends on her MySpace page.
Some of the highlights of the summer's campaigning have featured Edwards' online involvement. A quote from her Salon interview, for instance, gained notoriety for later appearing on the Drudge Report. It claimed that she had criticized Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the Democratic frontrunner, for not being woman enough, though some say Edwards was misquoted.
In another example, Edwards called in to MSNBC's "Hardball" television program to confront conservative pundit Ann Coulter, who was the show's guest, for satirically saying maybe she should wish John Edwards had been killed in a terrorist attack. The video of the altercation was all over the Internet and became a source of fundraising for the campaign.
Elizabeth Edwards is not the only family member of the presidential contenders to appear on the Web for their favorite candidates. b blogs on the campaign Web site for her husband, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. And the campaign site of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., features a video of his wife, Michelle, endorsing him for president.
Despite Clinton being one of the more tech-focused candidates, however, her family has been less involved online. Her husband, former President Clinton, has spent a significant amount of time fundraising but has tried to avoid the spotlight so his wife can establish her own identity.
Though he doesn't spend as much time on the Web as Elizabeth Edwards or the family of Republican candidate Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton has been featured in three online videos for the campaign: a fundraising appeal, a personal endorsement and the light-hearted, viral "Sopranos" video about Clinton's campaign theme song.
Romney's family has been greatly involved in his campaign, traveling across the country in support of his presidential bid. His five sons also run his blog, called Five Brothers, and Romney's wife, Ann, also posts content there. The brothers, along with their wives, children and extended family, post pictures from the campaign trail on the blog, and they and Ann Romney also each have their own MySpace pages.
The entire family, including dogs, appeared in a personal 13-minute video titled "The Decision" from Christmas 2006. Ann Romney narrated the video, where the Romneys weighed the impact of a presidential run on their family.
"The whole family is very supportive of the governor's campaign and has been very enthusiastic about campaigning on his behalf," Romney spokesman Alex Burgos said. "We just recently launched the MittMobile, which is a brainchild of the sons."
The presence of less family-friendly content on MySpace and other social-networking sites that the campaign has used could conflict with Romney's goal of cleansing American culture, as explained in his "Ocean" ad. Still, Burgos said the campaign does not feel the need to exert too much control over the Romneys' online presence.
"With sites like MySpace and Facebook, the overwhelming majority of users use them for appropriate reasons, to network with friends and family," Burgos said.
Going online is the easiest way for candidates and their families to make real contact with voters, said Julie Barko Germany, deputy director of George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. "It's a great way for a campaign to engage online in the blogosphere without having the candidate too involved because the family members become surrogates for the candidate," she said.
But they sometimes go beyond acting as surrogates. Edwards has departed from her husband's positions, most notably by supporting gay marriage while remaining his advocate online.
"If I want to be heard and meet the people who are expressing their opinion in that town square, I come to where they are," she said at this year's annual BlogHer conference for female bloggers. "Part of the genius of blogs is that it allows people to tell their personal stories, so if you have a policy issue, you can tell your story and you can invite people to tell their own stories."
| |
|
Politics
Watchdogs Embrace Service Aimed At Polite Debate
by Heather Greenfield
Internet sites like Opensecrets.org are beginning to post lobbying disclosures from the first half of the year as more of the data from the Aug. 14 filings becomes available electronically, and a new feature on Opensecrets allows debate on some of the issues surrounding money and politics.
Opensecrets and the Sunlight Foundation, which advocates greater government transparency, have teamed with the Web site Helium.com for the service. Helium promotes itself more as an online education site than a forum for debate.
While there are plenty of blogs and Web sites to debate the political issues of the day, Helium positions itself as a sort of no-flame zone where ideas get attention because of their thoughtful content -- not their rancor. Buttons on the participating sites showcase a rotation of questions for debate, and readers can participate by clicking the buttons to go to the Helium site.
In this kinder, gentler format, postings are not listed based on when they were filed but based on votes from others who have written on similar topics. "It allows the best incites to rise to the top," Helium President Mark Ranalli said. "Time is of no relevance when it comes to our site."
The goal is to provide the best information quickly so readers don't have to wade through silly answers or vulgar rants. "The system has a rating engine based on content," Ranalli said. "All those kind of flame wars with community sites go away."
That was the attraction for Kevin Rooney, managing director of the Center for Responsible Politics, which operates Opensecrets to track political donations. He said "letting the best arguments bubble to the top" was more appealing than the standard forum, "where bomb throwers get the most attention."
Even so, Rooney said getting involved in a partnership to suggest discussion topics still required some debate for the nonprofit company, which prides itself on being nonpartisan and nonpolitical.
He said the idea that specific answers may be partisan but that both the pros and cons of the issues will be aired was convincing, so the center agreed to participate.
So far one of the most popular questions has been whether money buys votes. "Of course they do," Ted Sherman wrote. "If they didn't, there wouldn't be any campaign contributions in the first place, especially from the heavy interests in business, defense industry and others who regularly buy congressional votes."
But Frances Ruocco said the contributions are more of a reward for similar views than an attempt to change them. "People are giving contributions because they believe in the same issues the congressmen claim to believe in or else they would not be giving them any contributions at all."
Ranalli said more partners, including Capitol News Connection, Teachers Without Boarders and the National Center for Policy Analysis, will be added to the site in coming weeks.
He said the partnerships help Helium get its name out, and the online groups get "to use a Web 2.0 vehicle to engage their constituents."
| |
|
Health
HHS Secretary Pushes New Health IT Advisory Panel
by Aliya Sternstein
Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt said Friday that the government's existing advisory body on health information technology needs to be replaced with an entity that acts more like a corporate democracy than a political democracy.
Amid controversy over an HHS proposal to privatize the American Health Information Community, Leavitt led a public informational session to encourage collaboration among private and public organizations in forming the successor organization.
HHS is heading the creation of a new entity, as required under AHIC's 2005 charter. The current body counsels HHS on advancing the adoption of health IT. The replacement body would be an independent and sustainable public-private partnership, under the agency's proposition.
During the session, Leavitt compared apportioning power to the new AHIC with establishing the power structure of the U.S. republic.
"The question is, how do we create a governing process for this," he said. We have to "effect a transition in an orderly way" just as the founding fathers did in getting from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. "This meeting, in my mind, is about: Who is George Washington?"
While some stakeholders might want the leader to be the HHS secretary, Leavitt said, he would prefer that a group of organizations lead the new AHIC. His rationale is that health IT standards should be developed outside the political process.
If Congress or the executive branch created the standards, Leavitt said, we "would get it wrong, because we'd be working in a vacuum."
Those who have criticized privatization of AHIC are primarily concerned that the proposed offshoot would lack accountability and transparency. Several consumer advocacy groups, labor organizations and the seniors' group AARP maintain that HHS needs to retain an active role in governance to ensure that standards reflect the national interest -- not business interests.
Leavitt tried to reassure them by saying, "We have to be at the table as full participants because we're not only going to use the standards; we're going to enforce the standards." He envisions the government involved as a "major" participant because of its financial stake in the whole operation. "We're clearly going to be one of the biggest payers."
An audience member from the National Partnership for Women and Families, a group that opposes privatization, said, "History has shown that one big problem with the Constitutional Convention was that there were huge swaths of the population that weren't present at the convention." The woman said nonprofits and other small outfits could be excluded from decision-making if they can't pay board dues or contribute as much funding as private-sector members.
Leavitt acknowledged that ensuring equal participation would be a challenge but said he wants the groups that form the new AHIC to conquer the issue. "I'm not the one to do that."
| |
|
Today's Feature:
Executive Summary
When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney confused the YouTube video-sharing site with the MySpace social network in a speech about online predators this summer, techie fingers were wagging and Romney found his technology awareness being questioned.
Every Friday, read the Executive Summary by K. Daniel Glover.
|
|
|
|
President -- John Fox Sullivan, 202-739-8468
Editor in Chief -- Louis Peck, 202-739-8481
Editor -- K. Daniel Glover (bio)
Assistant Editor -- Theresa Poulson
Senior Writers -- David Hatch (bio), Heather Greenfield (bio), Andrew Noyes (bio) and Aliya Sternstein (bio)
Special Correspondent -- Chris Strohm (bio)
Staff Writer -- Michael Martinez
Senior Business Affairs Manager -- Chris Hamby
Business Affairs Associate -- Anne TeBeest
Advertising Sales -- Alex Treadway
National Journal's Technology Daily is published every weekday, except holidays, by National Journal Group Inc., 600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037.
| | ©2006 by National Journal Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or transmission in any form of this product by any means—from a retrieval service or any other electronic form or from a photocopy—in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited.
National Journal Group makes no representations or warranties with respect to and is not responsible for the content of World Wide Web sites linked to by this publication but not controlled by National Journal Group.
Please read the details of our Privacy Policy.
Editorial: 202-266-7197
Fax: 202-266-7094
Subscription
Inquiries: 202-266-7264
Customer Service: 202-266-7230 or 1-800-207-8001
|
|
|
|
