Esty, Collins Lead Bipartisan Coalition in Introducing Manufacturing Universities Act

Press Release

Today, Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) joined Reps. Chris Collins (R-NY), Patrick Meehan (R-PA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Rodney Davis (R-IL), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) in introducing the bipartisan Manufacturing Universities Act.

Their bill would establish a Manufacturing Universities program within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Colleges and universities with existing engineering programs would be eligible to apply for the Manufacturing University designation, which would include up to $5 million annually for four years to improve engineering programs with an emphasis on manufacturing, increase the number of joint projects with manufacturing firms, and support students who participate in cooperative education and apprenticeships with manufacturers.

"Connecticut is built on its strong manufacturing tradition and thrives as a national leader in manufacturing, particularly for defense, biomedical, and energy industries," said Congresswoman Esty (D-CT). "Our state is home to over 5,000 manufacturers that provide good-paying jobs for Connecticut families, but manufacturers often struggle to find workers with the right skills. I'm proud to join this bipartisan coalition in introducing our Manufacturing Universities Act. By providing additional support for manufacturing in engineering programs at colleges like the University of Connecticut, we can prepare the next generation of engineers for exciting--and in-demand--manufacturing jobs."

"As a small business owner who worked in manufacturing for over 35 years, I understand the difficulty in training and finding qualified manufacturing workers," said Congressman Collins (R-NY). "To expand manufacturing in the United States, we need to have a workforce capable of filling these skilled jobs. I am proud to join Rep. Esty, Rep. Meehan, Rep. Tonko, Rep. Davis, and Rep. Thompson in introducing this bipartisan legislation that will provide partnering colleges and un(iversities the resources necessary to equip their students with the skills needed to succeed in manufacturing."

"Pennsylvania is the nation's sixth largest manufacturing state and manufacturing employs nearly 600,000 Pennsylvanians," said Congressman Meehan (R-PA). "This bipartisan legislation will help revitalize our manufacturing industry, provide workers with the skills they need to compete, and assist our universities in training the next generation of manufacturing workers. I'm pleased to work with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to expand opportunity for hardworking Pennsylvania families."

"American manufacturing represents almost $2 trillion in economic activity each year -- a figure that could increase if we invest in our workers and narrow the skills gap that stands between the unemployed and unfilled jobs," said Congressman Tonko (D-NY). "This bicameral, bipartisan legislation is critical to educating our workforce and supporting continued economic growth through innovation. I look forward to working with Representatives Esty, Collins, Meehan, Davis, and Thompson to see this bill passed and having New York's robust manufacturing sector, working in concert with our fine colleges and universities, provide fertile ground for continued job growth."

"Today, more and more of our manufacturing jobs are reliant upon well-trained engineers," said Congressman Davis (R-IL). "This bill will help build manufacturing programs within colleges and universities that already have excellent engineering programs like the University of Illinois in my district. By training future engineers, we will support good-paying, manufacturing jobs for middle class Americans."

"High-tech manufacturing can be big part of economic foundation so long as people have the skills and training they need to fill the jobs," said Congressman Thompson (D-CA). "By investing in manufacturing universities we can train a new generation of workers who will compete for high-skilled jobs that pay good wages. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this legislation and equip students with the tools they need to fill new in-demand manufacturing jobs."

"The Manufacturing Universities initiative is an exciting program that will transform high-tech manufacturing technologies and workforce development in the United States," said Mun Choi, Provost at the University of Connecticut. "University of Connecticut is uniquely positioned to support this program through new investments in additive manufacturing, advanced materials characterization, composite fabrication and materials development in collaboration with aerospace, biomedical, electronics and energy industries."

"SUNY proudly supports the Manufacturing Universities Act of 2015 as it helps pave the way for the advancement of manufacturing efforts across the country," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. "We thank Representative Collins and Representative Esty for their leadership recognizing the valuable role public universities play in educating and training students for the 21st century workforce."

The Manufacturing Universities Act has been referred to the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The bill is bipartisan and bicameral. The companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).

This bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, the Precision Metalforming Association, the National Tooling & Machining Association, the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Clemson University, University of South Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Drexel University, the University of Missouri System, the University of Illinois, the University of California, Davis, the University of California, Irvine, Boston University, the University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the State University of New York (SUNY) System, Kent State University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Connecticut, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson University, Dow, DuPont, and Siemens.