Press Releases

Congressman Troy Balderson’s (R-OH) bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening the United States’ largest investment in advanced manufacturing – the Manufacturing USA Program – passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. 

The American Manufacturing Leadership Act (H.R. 2397) builds on the success of the Manufacturing USA program in accelerating our nation’s progress in advanced manufacturing. This legislation would: strengthen our advanced manufacturing workforce; include more of the small and medium manufacturers that are the lifeblood of our economy; and leverage existing programs across our federal government to help Manufacturing USA Institutes achieve their goals.

“In today’s era of rapid global innovation, we must ensure American advanced manufacturing technologies remain on the cutting-edge,” said Balderson. “Manufacturing USA’s robust public-private partnership model provides an opportunity for academia and industry experts’ collaboration to ensure the development of our workforce while American businesses remain globally competitive.”

“Rep. Balderson recognizes the critical role manufacturing plays in the American economy, supporting nearly 13 million American jobs,” said Science, Space, and Technology Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK). “As technology evolves, it is changing both how we manufacture goods and what we need to produce. I appreciate Rep. Balderson’s work to support both the modernization of our industry and the continued growth and talent of our manufacturing workforce.”

The American Manufacturing Leadership Act is co-authored by Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) and sponsored by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), and Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY). The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

BACKGROUND

The American Manufacturing Leadership Act would:

• Reauthorize and amend the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act of 2014 and extend it to all agencies sponsoring centers for manufacturing innovation;

• Strengthen the institutes’ role in advanced manufacturing workforce development and in outreach to and inclusion of small and medium sized businesses;

• Authorize agencies to renew institutes for an additional period of funding following a rigorous review of the institute’s progress toward meeting measurable goals;

• Expand the authorities of the Manufacturing USA Program office housed at NIST to collaborate with other agencies, including to develop network-wide performance goals.

• And encourage the Program office to develop pilot programs and identify and disseminate best practices in education and workforce training for the institutes.