The H.R. 6429 bill would have been a boon to science, as well as the economy, experts said. It would have created a new visa category for foreign students with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), allowing them to stay in the country after finishing school, continuing to contribute to US-based innovation and technology advances. But the House of Representatives disagreed, voting the bill down with 257 votes for and 158 votes against—20 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority.
“Under the current system, we educate scientists and engineers only to send them back home where they often work for our competitors,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), during debate on the measure, according to ScienceInsider. But many Democrats objected to provisions in the Republican-backed plan, arguing that the bill discriminated against foreign families trying to join their relatives who have already established permanent ...
