Cornyn Highlights Law to Boost Job Opportunities in Houston
Press Release
Cornyn Highlights Law to Boost Job Opportunities in Houston
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited Houston today to highlight the provisions of a new law that would expand job opportunities in Houston and across Texas by enhancing education in math, science and technology. Sen. Cornyn discussed the new law with local technology employees at HP, where he also toured the facility.
"As a national leader in the high-tech industry, Texas stands to benefit greatly from the America Competes Act. This new law will help create jobs in the high-tech industry by encouraging more students to study math, science and engineeringmaking Texas and the nation more competitive on the global stage," Sen. Cornyn said. "The employees I visited with today at HP are some of Houston's finest and brightest. Their skills and hard work are making a solid contribution to the Texas economy and our state's reputation as a high-tech pioneer. Measures like the America Competes Act only serve to further their achievements and bring more talented professionals into the field to complement and continue the cutting-edge work they're doing.
"I have and will continue to promote common-sense polices in the U.S. Senate such as the America Competes Act, which create jobs in Texas and continue to expand our state's economy."
The America COMPETES Act (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science), which will make grant funding available, was signed into law by President Bush on Thursday following Senate passage last month. Sen. Cornyn was an original cosponsor of the America Competes Act.
Texas is the nation's second largest tech exporting state, having earned $39 billion in technology exports in 2006. Tech exports from Texas grew by $4.5 billion in 2006, making Texas numerically the fastest growing state nationwide. More than one-quarter of all exports from Texas are technology products, and more than 100,000 jobs in Texas are tied to tech exports.*
HP employs thousands of people in Texas, with the majority of those jobs located in Houston. It's a centre for innovation with more than 250 patents being registered by HP researchers in Texas during 2006.
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