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October 04, 2013

Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on National Manufacturing Day

(Washington, DC) – Today is the second annual National Manufacturing Day, a day designed for manufacturers to address their skilled labor shortage by connecting with future generations and taking charge of the public image of manufacturing in order to ensure the ongoing prosperity of the industry.

Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) made the following statement.

“Today, National Manufacturing Day, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of our manufacturing sector.  Growth in American manufacturing will help us create the high-skill, well-paying jobs of the future.  I and my fellow House Democrats continue to push our “Make It In America” agenda, a plan that focuses on creating the best conditions for American businesses to manufacture their products, innovate, and create jobs right here in the U.S. and to sell those products and services to the rest of the world.   Democrats on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology have introduced several bills that will help support American manufacturing.

“Unfortunately, as we celebrate the revitalization of American manufacturing and work to foster the continued growth of this vital sector, Federal agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Energy that help our manufacturing sector become more innovative and globally competitive are essentially shuttered.  And, we are rapidly approaching a debt ceiling crisis, which could seriously disrupt the global economy.  Our innovators, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers need a stable economic environment in which to operate. We must end this GOP-forced government shutdown by passing a clean CR and raising the debt ceiling so that our manufacturing sector can continue to grow and create the jobs that we so desperately need.”

Science Committee Manufacturing Bills

  • H.R. 1421 – The Advancing Innovative Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2013 – Ms. Johnson - Creates industry-led consortia that will identify, prioritize, and address long-term, pre-competitive industrial research needs in advanced manufacturing; establishes a pilot program to promote advanced manufacturing and enhance the innovative capabilities and competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers; creates a pilot program to award “innovation vouchers” worth up to $20,000 that small and medium-sized manufacturers can use to acquire technical expertise; and amends America COMPETES to provide competitive, merit-reviewed grants to community colleges for the development and implementation of innovative advanced manufacturing curricula and degree or certification programs.
  • H.R. 2447 – The American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013 – Ranking Member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, Dan Lipinski (D-IL) - Directs the White House National Science and Technology Council, in consultation with business, labor and academia, to develop a national manufacturing competitiveness strategy that will attract manufacturing businesses to our shores, help them compete overseas, enable innovation, and encourage them to expand and create well-paying jobs here in the U.S. 
  • H.R. 2873 – The Economy, Energy and Environment Initiative to Support Sustainable Manufacturing (E3) Act – Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) - Supports sustainable manufacturing by authorizing the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Labor, Agriculture and EPA and SBA to coordinate and target federal resources to assist manufacturers in becoming more efficient, competitive and sustainable. 
  • H.R. 2996 – The Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 - Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) - Establishes public-private Centers for Manufacturing Innovation that leverage investments in industrially-relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications to bridge the gap between basic research and product development, provide shared assets to help companies–particularly small and medium-size manufacturing enterprises– access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills.