American Manufacturing Leadership Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have been joined by my colleagues to introduce H.R. 2397, the American Manufacturing Leadership Act. I thank Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, Representatives Balderson and Gonzalez, and the sponsors of the original Revitalize American Manufacturing Innovation Act, Representatives Kennedy and Reed, for their partnership in leading this legislation and for being such great champions for advanced manufacturing.

Today is a great day. It is a great legislative day and a great day for American manufacturing, for innovation, for our workforce, and for the effective utilization of our Federal Government to advance, grow, and compete.

Today, the American Manufacturing Leadership Act reauthorizes the Manufacturing USA program through bipartisan support and the willpower of our Federal Government.

What began in Youngstown, Ohio, as a pilot initiative, the vision of a lab that would usher in 3D printing applications, workforce training programs, and the transfer of new technologies across the country and into the supply chain, is now one of the 14 institutes encompassing various research concentrations. Those include Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow Institute located in Detroit; REMADE Institute in Rochester, New York; Digital Manufacturing Institute in Chicago; and PowerAmerica in North Carolina for battery technology.

This work is in my blood, and it is part of why I came to Congress. It is also imperative for our role in global competition and for the investment in industrial policy and strategy vis-a-vis sound economic policy.

We will ensure that Manufacturing USA can continue to contribute to the growth of our domestic advanced manufacturing base and an advanced manufacturing workforce to fill the high-skilled jobs of the future.

AMLA authorizes agencies to renew their institutes for an additional period of funding following a fair review of the institutes' progress. It also strengthens the important partnership between Manufacturing USA and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, as well as other relevant programs across the Federal Government.

Finally, the bill authorizes funding to allow the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, and the Department of Energy to continue funding their current institutes and stand up at least one additional institute in fiscal year 2020 and each year thereafter.

The real strength of these institutes lies in the consortium model, with the private partners contributing at least 50 percent of the funding.

In 2017 alone, Manufacturing USA raised almost $180 million in investments from the private sector from nearly 1,300 manufacturers, universities, community colleges, government labs, and NGOs.

They are only able to do this because the Federal Government sets the table and provides support in the planning, development, management, and operation of each institute.

Manufacturing USA institutes provide critical U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing.

The institutes serve as a unique collaborative platform for industry and academia to engage in best-in-class expertise to solve challenges and usher in new innovations.

The program is making, I believe, incredible strides in workforce development for the future and existing workforce. For example, in 2017, the LIFT institute in Detroit reached over 160,000 students across the country through innovative web-based curricula, as well as in-person training programs. And the Manufacturing Institute in Chicago, the digital manufacturing lab, has used a taxonomic approach to codifying job roles specific to the changing nature of advanced manufacturing brought on by the Internet of Things.

The United States will never be able to compete by bringing back the manufacturing of yesterday. We can celebrate our milestones--50 years since we landed on the Moon--as we usher in the innovations to improve the lives and outcomes of our manufacturing base for the next 50 years.

The American Manufacturing Leadership Act has already been endorsed by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the American Association of Manufacturers.

To the small and midsized manufacturers, to the suppliers, to the complex web of craftsmanship, to the future engineer, to the computer programmer, to the student dreaming in Livonia, Michigan, about what they are going to do, this one is for you.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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