WASHINGTON - Reaction was divided to a Senate
                        committee's passage of a bill last week that
                        raises the caps on immigration visas for
                        temporary H-1B workers - including engineers -
                        to 95,000 from the present 65,000. Silicon
                        Valley employers applauded the vote, which
                        would open the door to visas for more overseas
                        workers at a time when the job market is wide
                        open.

                        But top engineering groups said the move
                        threatens jobs as further signs emerge of an
                        impending economic downturn.