Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Chris Coons (D-DE) announced a new bipartisan bill to increase America’s global competitiveness in advanced manufacturing. The Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act would expand the successful national network of Manufacturing USA institutes, which work to strengthen manufacturing throughout the country. The Manufacturing USA program is a national network of 14 public-private partnership institutes with 1,300-member companies and institutions working to keep the U.S. on the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing. The institutes collaborate with member companies, academic institutions, trade associations, and government partners to develop new best practices in manufacturing, help transition innovative technologies from lab to market, and expand the production of goods made in America. This bill is also cosponsored by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
“America has always been a global leader in manufacturing, and we need to do everything we can to make sure our country remains competitive to continue that leadership in the 21st century,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am proud to partner with Senator Coons to introduce the bipartisan Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act, which would expand the successful network of manufacturing institutes that promotes innovation and helps ensure new technologies will be developed and made in the United States. This legislation would improve job training programs and support entrepreneurs, creating more opportunities for our workers to succeed in manufacturing. These are the types of investments that strengthen our nation’s economy and ensure our products and workers can compete in the global market, and I urge my colleagues to join together to pass this bill.”
“Manufacturing is a cornerstone of American economic security and investment in advanced manufacturing is critical to ensure the future of U.S. global competitiveness,” said Senator Coons. “This bill will help expand the national network of public-private partnerships and continue NIIMBL’s work in Delaware to commercialize cutting-edge research and create new, well-paying manufacturing jobs. Support for manufacturing is bipartisan, and the Manufacturing USA program is where Congress and the Administration can find common ground.”
New York State is home to three Manufacturing USA institutes, more than any other state in the country. The three institutes are the Reducing Embodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, which is headquartered in Rochester and led by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT); the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), which is located in Rochester and Albany and led by the SUNY Polytechnic Institute along with the University of Rochester and RIT; and the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute, which is headquartered in New York City and led by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
The Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act would build upon the successes of these institutes in New York and across the country by expanding the Manufacturing USA network and developing new institutes that support U.S. manufacturing in new, fast-growing technologies. This bill would also provide more federal investment in the national network, including existing institutes, to compete globally and maintain U.S. economic and national security. This includes providing more federal resources and support, like a liaison of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) in each Manufacturing USA institute, to assist with cybersecurity training, workforce development, and technology transfer for small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
The Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act is supported by Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Association for Advancing Automation, Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Binghamton University, Bipartisan Policy Center, Boston Scientific Corporation, Delaware Manufacturing Association, Delaware Manufacturing Extension Partnership (DEMEP), Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Intelligent Manufacturing Systems International (IMS-I), International Society of Automation (ISA), Mac Arthur Corporation, Manufacturing Alliance of Communities (MAC), National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), National Council for Advanced Manufacturing(NACFAM), National Tooling & Machining Association, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rockwell Automation, SEMI, State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), SUNY Polytechnic Institute, The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and University of Delaware.