ITA Flies to Washington to Advocate for Tech Sector

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Feb 19, 2014) - Leaders and members of the Illinois Technology Association (ITA) joined TechVoice's annual fly-in to Washington, D.C. last week to advocate for IT sector priorities on Capitol Hill. TechVoice is a partnership of CompTIA and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA).

On February 11 and 12, ITA and TechVoice met with several Illinois elected officials including the offices of Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk to focus their attention on policies of interest to the tech community. Top issues of concern included patent reform to counter abusive patent litigation tactics; tax reform fairness to small and mid-sized tech businesses; and immigration reform that will make it easier to recruit and retain the 'best and the brightest' high-tech workers in an effort to close the skills gap and remain globally competitive.

Other issues on the table included developing skills for the 21st century workforce, strengthening security against data breaches, and encouraging the development of new and emerging technology platforms.

"Tech sector innovation is a key force behind our new economy, and is growing in size and impact," said Nick Farina, CEO of JetZet, a social travel startup and ITA member. "Congress needs to be sure that it adopts policies that support early-stage IT companies in order to foster ongoing innovation and tech-related economic growth."

"As the leading association that represents growth stage companies in Illinois, we want to be sure that legislators are aware of how their policies and decisions affect our constituents," said Sarah Habansky, Vice President, ITA. "The TechVoice Fly-In gives us an opportunity to deliver our messages face to face, and that's why this is the third year that ITA has participated in this event."

About the ITA
The Illinois Technology Association powers tech growth in Illinois. ITA's programs, services and strategic consulting drive our dynamic industry by working to grow, build and elevate our members. By leveraging the connections and expertise of our more than 600 member companies representing a workforce that is 50,000 strong and growing, ITA provides the ecosystem growing technology companies need to succeed. Contact ITA at headquarters@illinoistech.org, follow the discussion on Twitter at @itabuzz, and visit www.illinoistech.org to find out more about how ITA supports the growth of the local industry.

About TechVoice
TechVoice is a partnership of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA), and participating regional technology associations. Collectively, TechVoice represents thousands of technology companies across the country employing millions of workers. TechVoice is dedicated to empowering and mobilizing the grassroots tech community to impact legislative and regulatory issues important to growth, innovation and job creation. For more information, visit www.techvoice.org.