• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune Global Forum

GOP Tech Plan Takes Aim at H1-B Visas, Taxes, and Patent Law

Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 16, 2017, 3:02 PM ET
Senate Policy luncheons
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 31: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, talks with reporters in the subway before the Senate Policy luncheons in the Capitol, January 31, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)Tom Williams—AP

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) unveiled an ambitious agenda to boost the U.S. tech industry on Thursday, which included proposed reforms to contentious issues like immigration and corporate tax policy.

In a speech announcing an “Innovation Agenda” for the new Congress, the senator also touted his ties to President Trump, and said he would act as bridge between the tech industry and the White House—a role that could be critical given the open antagonism that exists between Trump and many corners of Silicon Valley.

As for Hatch’s plan, it calls for lower corporate taxes and for the U.S. to shift to a territorial-based tax system.

“Currently, American companies are taxed on their worldwide income, regardless of where that income is made. Many of our trading allies, by contrast, have moved to a territorial system …. This puts America at a competitive disadvantage and makes it a less attractive place to do business,” said Hatch.

Such a shift in the tax system could lead tech companies to stop using intellectual property gimmicks to park their profits overseas, a controversial practice that has led firms like Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOGL) to amass foreign cash hoards in the hundreds of billions.

The Hatch plan also takes up the issues of H1-B visas, which the tech companies rely on to hire foreign workers, but are also a bugbear for Trump and immigration and labor critics, who argue the visa program undercuts American jobs.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

In his speech, Hatch took aim at a “handful of bad actors” who manipulate the H1-B program to replace U.S. workers with cheaper labor. Though he did not name any specific companies, Hatch’s comment appeared to be a swipe at firms like Infosys and Wipro that obtain H1-B visas in large batches to supply IT workers from companies like India who work for lower wagers.

Hatch also urged Congress to continue to rely on immigration to address a U.S. skills shortage in math and science, while listing some possible ideas to curtail H1-B abuse.

“To throw out just a few possible solutions, we could cap the number of H-1B visas any single employer can apply for,” Hatch said. “We could do multiple waves of lotteries. We could require additional attestations that an employer tried to fill a job with an American worker but was unable to do so.”

The proposed agenda also calls for Congress to rein in nuisance patent lawsuits, a long-time thorn in the side of the tech industry, by putting an end to forum shopping by plaintiffs.

During the speech, Hatch also took up another intellectual property issue by calling for Congress to exert more control over the Copyright Office, and for the office to step up digitization and communication efforts.

“Telling Congress to communicate with the Copyright Office via SurveyMonkey is unacceptable,” said Hatch.

Other proposed measures for the Innovation Agenda include fostering an open Internet, and helping U.S. companies navigate international data storage laws.

Many of the agenda items are likely to earn broad support in the tech industry and beyond. But it’s unclear Hatch and other Congressional leaders will be able to get any of them passed, given the tumultuous political climate and ongoing strife between Trump and members of his Republican party.

About the Author
Jeff John Roberts
By Jeff John RobertsEditor, Finance and Crypto
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeff John Roberts is the Finance and Crypto editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of the blockchain and how technology is changing finance.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

PoliticsColleges and Universities
Pentagon chief blocks officers from attending Ivy League schools and other top universities, including partners on AI and space
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
2 hours ago
AIAnthropic
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says ‘we are patriotic Americans’ committed to defending the U.S. but won’t budge on ‘red lines’
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
7 hours ago
sarandos
InvestingMedia
3 things we will never know after Netflix pulled out of the Warner Bros. bidding, handing it to Paramount
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
10 hours ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
AIAnthropic
OpenAI sweeps in to ink deal with Pentagon as Anthropic is designated a ‘supply chain risk’—an unprecedented action likely to crimp its growth
By Jeremy KahnFebruary 28, 2026
10 hours ago
Big TechAmerican Politics
Your spend as a ‘weapon’: Scott Galloway’s ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ movement asks you to ditch Amazon, Apple, and Netflix to oppose Trump
By Kristin StollerFebruary 28, 2026
14 hours ago
world's fair
CommentaryRobots
Something big is happening in AI, but panic is the wrong reaction
By Peter CappelliFebruary 28, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran is now on 'death ground' amid existential threat from U.S. attacks and could 'go big' in retaliation, former NATO commander warns
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
8 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn't ready for what's coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of February 27, 2026
By Danny BakstFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Law
China's government intervenes to show Michigan scientists were carrying worms, not biological materials
By Ed White and The Associated PressFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.