U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the American manufacturing sector.
The senators recently cosponsored the Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act of 2019, S. 1427, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) to promote expansion of the national network of Manufacturing USA institutes and improve the Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program.
“The United States must remain a global leader in manufacturing and we need to commit to investing in public-private partnerships to boost this critical sector,” Sen. Gardner said.
The program is a national network of 14 public-private partnership institutes comprised of 1,300-member companies and institutions that have generated $2 billion in industry-matched funding to transition innovative technologies from lab to market and to expand the production of goods made in America, according to information provided by the lawmakers.
“The Manufacturing USA program has already benefited Colorado-based partners like NREL and this bipartisan legislation will help bolster these programs across Colorado and the country,” said Sen. Gardner, referring to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Sen. Moran, chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, said his home state of Kansas “continues to demonstrate leadership in a number of advanced manufacturing sectors, including aerospace, defense, technology and agriculture.”
That’s why Sen. Moran said he plans to ensure “federal programs such as the Manufacturing USA network are well-resourced and modernized while also accounting for our small- and mid-sized manufacturers to contend with foreign competitors that threaten not only our economic security, but our national security as well.”
If enacted, S. 1427 also would embed a liaison of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) in each Manufacturing USA institute who would assist with cybersecurity training, workforce development and technology transfer for small- and medium-sized manufacturers, among several other provisions included in a summary of the bill.