Hatch Unveils Innovation Agenda for the 115th Congress
Washington, D.C.—Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the Chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, rolled out his innovation agenda for the 115th Congress during a special event today at the United States Capitol.
On working with the President on key tech issues
As one of the earliest Senators to endorse President Trump, I can serve as a bridge between the President and the tech community. I spent nearly an hour in the Oval Office with him last month. Help me help you work with the President to accomplish our shared goals.
On Enhancing America’s Competitive Workforce
Unfortunately, a handful of bad actors has created a great deal of unease about H-1B visas by misusing the system to offshore jobs to foreign workers. We’ve all seen the news reports. Other companies file for way more H-1B visas than they need, squeezing smaller players out of the picture. We cannot allow this small number of bad actors to wreck the system for the responsible companies who want to help American workers and grow our economy.
Enhancing America’s Competitive Workforce
There have been some controversies lately about the Copyright Office and the administration of our nation’s copyright laws. I’m not going to wade into those controversies here, but I do want to say that we need a Copyright Office that is well managed, that is accountable, and that is responsive to Congress’s demands. Telling Congress to communicate with the Copyright Office via SurveyMonkey is unacceptable.
Supporting Responsible Data Stewardship at Home and Abroad
While a judge in the U.S. may think it reasonable to ask a company like IBM or Google to pull the contents of an email stored in Europe, European officials may disagree. They may sanction the company for violations of applicable European data privacy laws or seek in turn to compel the company to produce data stored in the U.S. to European officials. We need a regime to determine standards for disclosure of electronic data no matter where it is stored — in the U.S. or abroad.
Fostering a Modern, Competitive, and Open Internet
How do we create a sound regulatory framework that adequately protects safety and privacy without stifling the tremendous advances we’re seeing? There’s no simple path forward on these issues, but one point I believe is clear. It’s the same principle that guides our medical profession: first, do no harm. Yes, we must protect safety and privacy, but we also shouldn’t rush in. When problems arise, let’s address them. But let’s not regulate just for the sake of regulating. Let’s not smother these emerging technologies while they’re yet in infancy.
A PDF of the agenda can be found here.
The full speech, as prepared for delivery:
...
[Message clipped] View entire message
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hatch Refutes Democrats' Attacks on Judge Gorsuch’s Independence
Washington, D.C.—Senator Orrin Hatch, the senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor today in strong support of Judge Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
In his remarks, Senator Hatch decried the misleading attacks Democrats have used to distort Judge Gorsuch’s record and refuted the specious claim that Judge Gorsuch would not serve as an independent check on the executive branch.
...
[Message clipped] View entire message
