Syracuse, NY – Standing at Feldmeier Equipment, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand along with U.S. Representative John Katko and local economic development leaders today announced the Senator’s bipartisan Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act legislation. Senator Gillibrand’s legislation would grow the manufacturing industry in Upstate New York by creating a permanent program that designates local regions as “Manufacturing Communities,” which would put them in the front of the line to receive federal economic development funding specifically for the purpose of investing in manufacturing.
“Upstate New York has one of the greatest manufacturing traditions in the country, and we need to help ensure that our local communities have the chance to become leading national manufacturing hubs in the 21st Century,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This bipartisan legislation will unlock millions of dollars in federal economic development funds for smart investments in high impact projects and leverage public-private partnerships to help create good-paying manufacturing jobs, jumpstart new businesses, and grow our economy for years to come.”
“Manufacturing is the backbone of Central New York’s economy. In order to move our region’s economy forward, we must work to move manufacturing forward,” said U.S. Representative John Katko (NY-24). “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation does just that by ensuring that manufacturers in our region are able to compete for federal funding for education, modernization, and skills training for our workforce. I thank Senator Gillibrand for her bipartisan efforts on this legislation.”
“Upstate New York has a proud history of being a manufacturing hub from its earliest days,” Rep. Richard Hanna said. “Over the years that edge dwindled and we saw stalled growth, but now we are back on the upswing with new interests in nanotechnology and other tech-related manufacturing fields. We have seen public dollars enhance private investments to translate into more jobs and a better local economy. I support this bill because our communities in Central New York and the Southern Tier can not only compete to be manufacturing hubs, but with an extra push can transform themselves into globally competitive markets.”
“Feldmeier Equipment would like to thank Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Katko for their support of Upstate New York Manufacturing,” said Dave Pollock, Vice President of Sales for Feldmeier Equipment. “Feldmeier Equipment is a proud New York State company, making products locally, shipped all over the world, fabricated of raw materials made only in the USA. With their continued dedication to keep manufacturing in New York strong and their assistance in training and education we look forward to continued growth and success, and a very bright future.”
MACNY President & CEO Randy Wolken stated, “It is well known that a robust Manufacturing sector is critical to our thriving economy. In order to grow our region, Government needs to create legislation that helps foster a friendlier business climate to allow our businesses and manufacturers to thrive. Senator Gillibrand is supporting this need as well as the manufacturing community through her “Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act.” Senator Gillibrand’s bill will allow access to federal funding for manufacturers and encourage them to make capital investments in their businesses that will help increase production and grow community-supporting jobs.
“The Made In America Manufacturing Communities Act holds promise for regions like ours with strong manufacturing bases because it leverages communities’ existing strengths,” said Robert Simpson, President of CenterState CEO. “This bill’s regionally-driven approach to strengthening U.S. manufacturing will support existing manufacturers and drive new opportunities for growth across our region.”
New York has struggled with manufacturing job losses despite manufacturing job growth in other areas of the country. To bolster more growth in the New York manufacturing industry, Senator Gillibrand’s bill would create a permanent program to competitively award regions with the “Manufacturing Community” designation. This designation would give these communities preferred consideration when applying for up to $1.3 billion in currently available federal economic development funding for manufacturing. This legislation encourages a regionally-driven approach to strengthening the manufacturing industry. To compete for funding through this program and earn the “Manufacturing Communities” designation, communities would create regional partnerships with key stakeholders such as local and state economic development officials, local governments, manufacturers, labor organizations, and higher education or other training providers.
In order to earn the Manufacturing Communities designation, communities would demonstrate the significance of manufacturing in their region and develop strategies to utilize their “Manufacturing Communities” designation in making investments in six areas:
- Workforce training and retraining;
- Advanced research;
- Infrastructure and site development;
- Supply chain support;
- Promotion of exports and foreign direct investment; and
- Operational improvement and capital access for manufacturers that supports energy or process efficiency, equipment or facility upgrades, the development of business incubators, among other activities.
Senator Gillibrand’s bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), and a bipartisan House version is led by U.S. Representative David Cicilline (D-RI), and is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Richard Hanna (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), and Tim Ryan (D-OH), and John Katko (R-NY).