When it comes to issues affecting your business, TechServe doesn’t sit on the sidelines. TechServe serves as both the staffing industry watchdog and advocate. Through our daily monitoring and reporting to members of congressional and regulatory activities, thoughtful analysis and development of carefully honed position papers, advocacy before key policymakers and their staff, and grassroots lobbying efforts, TechServe is recognized as a highly effective force on critical industry issues.
Throughout its legislative history, TechServe has kept its members informed of pending changes to the law and regulations. TechServe has helped shape the policies that affect its members’ businesses, representing their interests before the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as aggressively lobbying Congress in the areas of labor and employment, immigration, and taxation.
TechServe pro-actively advocates with a laser-focus on:
- Defending against threats to the industry’s business model
- Ensuring IT & engineering staffing and solutions firms enjoy a level playing field in regulation with competitors
- Standing steadfast against excessive regulatory burdens on the industry
- Educating policymakers about the critical role IT & engineering staffing and solutions firms play in the U.S. economy
Clarify the FLSA Definition of Computer Professional to Reflect Hundreds of New IT Occupations
The 1990s definition of computer professional, as codified in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), was enacted when the “World Wide Web” and the Internet were in the infancy stage. As America’s technology industry has grown at an extremely fast pace for more than two decades, there are literally hundreds of new IT professional occupations. TechServe Alliance strongly supports efforts to resolve any doubt about whether these new IT occupations fall within the FLSA computer professional exemption through updating and clarification of the statutory language.
Support Policies that Address the Systemic IT and Engineering Professional Talent Shortage in the U.S. While Continuing to Meet Near-Term Needs
The U.S. has for many years suffered from a shortage of highly-skilled technical professionals. A qualified workforce is essential to the U.S. economy and the success of the IT and engineering staffing industry. TechServe Alliance supports policies that address the systemic talent shortage including increasing resources for STEM education and worker training. Further, to meet near-term needs, Congress should provide access to a reasonable number of IT & engineering professionals on H-1B visas without any policy changes that discriminate against U.S.-based IT and engineering staffing firms.
IT and Engineering Consultants Should Be Able to Choose to Provide their Services as Independent Contractors
Tax and employment laws and regulations should fully accommodate IT and engineering staffing consultants who choose to offer their services as independent contractors.
