Bills Introduced to Address INFO Tech Worker Shortage

Representative James P. Moran (D-VA) recently introduced a package of five bills that he feels would help address the critical shortage of information technology workers that the United States currently faces. As reported in the January 23, 1998 issue of the Digest, the Information Technology Association of America predicts that there are approximately 346,000 unfilled information technology jobs in the country today due to a shortage of qualified workers.

H.R. 3270, the Regional Skills Training Alliances Act of 1998, is modeled after the Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP). It directs the Secretary of Commerce to make available through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) competitive grants to improve the job skills necessary for employment in specific industries.

The bill would authorize $50 million per year to NIST for the next three fiscal years to operate a competitive challenge grant for industry-led regional skills alliances. The federal funds would be matched by state, local or industry funds. The money could be spent by the industry alliances on a wide variety of activities, as long as the initiative is focused on skill development. Priority would be given to alliances that consist of a majority of representatives from small businesses.

H.R. 3274, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for high technology job training expenses, was also introduced. This bill offers employers who train employees for information technology jobs a tax credit for fifty percent of the training costs up to $2,500 per year per employee. To be eligible for the tax credit, the information technology employee must have an occupation specializing in the study, design, development, implementation, support, or management of computer based information systems, such as computer scientist, computer engineer, systems analyst, or computer programmer.

H.R. 3273 deals with the relaxation of immigration policy. It provides that the occupation "information technology professional" would be treated for three years as if the Secretary of Labor had made a determination under the Immigration and Nationality Act that there were not sufficient domestic workers who are able, willing, qualified and available, and that the employment of aliens in such occupations would not adversely affect the wages and working condition of U.S. workers similarly employed.

H.R. 3271 and H.R.3272 deal with the establishment of Regional Private Industry Councils that would be able to reward bonuses to training providers with a high percentage of job placements.

All five of these bills have been referred to their appropriate House Committees. For a copy of the bills' summaries or full text, contact the Institute at 614/421-SSTI (7784).