A bipartisan, bicameral bill authored by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to bolster America’s manufacturing of semiconductor chips recently received approval from the U.S. Senate.
“The passage of this legislation in the U.S. Senate is a win for Tennessee manufacturers who rely on semiconductors to support local and global supply chains,” Sen. Blackburn said in a Dec. 21 statement.
The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2023, S. 229 — which Sen. Blackburn cosponsored on Feb. 2 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) — passed the Senate on Dec. 13 and then on Dec. 15 advanced to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The House is considering the identical bill, H.R. 752, also introduced on Feb. 2 by U.S. Reps. Greg Pence (R-IN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to require the SelectUSA program to solicit comments from state economic development organizations regarding federal efforts to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“As long as the U.S. continues to depend on Communist China for semiconductor production, our supply chain, economy and national security are all at risk,” said Sen. Blackburn. “We need to encourage economic development with local leaders in order to identify resource gaps and address challenges faced by businesses in meeting their bottom line.”
If enacted, the measure also would require SelectUSA to identify what resource gaps or other challenges are faced by state economic development organizations in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production, the summary says, and to then develop strategies to increase investments in semiconductor manufacturing.
“In order to remain a global economic powerhouse in the 21st century, we must continue to build on the investments we made in the CHIPS and Science Act to boost U.S. production of semiconductor chips, which we know will dictate the future of technology and innovation,” said Sen. Peters.