Hatch Sees Himself as 'Bridge' Between Tech Sector, Trump Administration

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Thursday he intends to “serve as a bridge between [President Donald Trump] and the tech community” to convey the sector's myriad policy interests to the White House. “I think the president trusts me” on tech issues, Hatch said. Tech sector stakeholders have been highly critical of Trump's executive order curtailing immigration, at least temporarily, from seven Muslim-majority countries. The tech sector strongly backed the states of Washington and Minnesota in their fight to keep Trump’s now-suspended order from being reinstated (see 1701290001, 1702060016 and 1702100042). Hatch, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, told tech officials Thursday his “innovation agenda” for the 115th Congress will include reintroduction of his Immigration Innovation (I-Squared) Act “in the near future.” The bill may cap the number of H-1B visas for high-skilled foreign workers that a company can seek, Hatch said. The tech sector has been one of the top fields seeking H-1B visas. Hatch's tech agenda emphasizes policy priorities such as promoting broadband investment, IP law revamps and discouraging countries from adopting data localization laws. Hatch said he believes it's “past time” for the Senate to pass legislation aimed at updating the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The House unanimously passed its ECPA update, the Email Privacy Act (HR-387), earlier this month but it's unclear when a Senate version might progress (see 1702070011). Hatch also emphasized the importance of Congress continuing to maintain a “light regulatory touch” on IoT and other emerging technologies in a way that also protects consumers. CTA CEO Gary Shapiro praised Hatch's agenda. “Empowering innovators to create new jobs, markets and industries will provide countless benefits to the U.S. economy and American consumers, while enabling our nation to remain one of the world's best places to do business,” Shapiro said in a statement. Hatch's plan will "boost innovation and remove obstacles that are holding back a leading sector of the economy -- technology," said Computer & Communications Industry Association President Ed Black in a statement. The Software and Information Industry Association believes Hatch is “committed to working across the aisle and with the Trump administration to promote a comprehensive slate of policies that will advance U.S. global leadership and job creation,” said Senior Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy in a statement. “At a time when American companies face more global competition than ever, this Innovation Agenda is a must-do list for Congress.” CTIA believes Hatch's agenda will “ensure that the U.S. remains the world leader in high-tech innovation,” said Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Kelly Cole in a statement. TechNet CEO Linda Moore said the agenda “will bring focus to many of the issues that matter most to the technology industry, such as high-skilled immigration, STEM education and workforce training, tax reform” and the ECPA revamp.