Bipartisan, Bicameral Made in America Manufacturing Bill Introduced by Senator Collins, Colleagues

Press Release

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) joined a group of her colleagues in introducing the Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act of 2022. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation incentivizes private-public partnerships by empowering the Secretary of Commerce to designate consortiums as "Manufacturing Communities," which would be eligible for federal financial and technical assistance designed to expand and support domestic manufacturing. The bill would help strengthen the U.S. manufacturing base, encourage domestic public-private partnerships, and help local businesses cut through bureaucratic red tape to address ongoing pandemic-related supply chain disruptions that are plaguing local economies.

"Increasing the number of good-paying manufacturing jobs is not only essential to growing our economy, but it can also strengthen our national security and help alleviate supply chain disruptions as well," said Senator Collins. "By increasing the availability of financial and technical assistance and leveraging public-private partnerships, our bipartisan bill would help manufacturing businesses launch, expand, and thrive."

The Made in America program is a successor to the "Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership" (IMCP). The Economic Development Administration operated the IMCP in 2014 and 2015 and successfully enrolled 24 locally-organized public-private consortiums. In addition to Commerce assistance, approved Made in America Manufacturing Communities in the new proposal would have access to technical assistance from other federal agencies, giving them a leg up in accessing a wide array of federal grants. Specifics on Made in America eligibility and investments:

Eligible consortiums include but are not limited to partnerships between commercial industry, state and local government organizations, and academic or workforce training organizations to convene community stakeholders and set the foundation for long-term investments in manufacturing communities.

Eligible consortiums can be designated as a Manufacturing Community for a 5-year period, after which they can apply for re-designation for two additional 2-year periods.

Approved Manufacturing Communities will receive assistance and investments in equipment or facility upgrades; workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and retention; business incubators; advanced research and commercialization; supply chain development; assistance for small business concerns; and strategic planning assistance for consortiums that lack experience applying for federal assistance.

In addition to Senator Collins, the bill was co-sponsored by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Jerry Moran (R-KS). In the House of Representatives, the bill was introduced by Congressmen David Cicilline (D-RI-1) and Peter Meijer (R-MI-3).

The bill is endorsed by the American Small Manufacturers Coalition, National Association of Development Organizations, National Association of Counties, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, National Tooling and Machining Association, North American Die Casting Association, Precision Machined Products Association, Precision Metalforming Association, and the National Skills Coalition.

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