To incentivize private-public partnerships supporting domestic manufacturing, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) recently unveiled a bipartisan bill that would task the U.S. Commerce Secretary with establishing the Manufacturing Communities Support Program.
“West Virginia is home to dozens of communities that are defined by the manufacturing industry,” Sen. Capito said. “This legislation follows through on our previous efforts to support employers and workers in the manufacturing sector by investing in the partnerships and companies that lead to growth, expansion, and job creation right here in our state.”
The new program created by the Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act of 2022, S. 3687, would authorize the Commerce Secretary to designate consortiums as Manufacturing Communities, which would be eligible for federal financial and technical assistance to expand and support domestic manufacturing, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Capito’s staff.
Sen. Capito is one of seven original cosponsors of S. 3687, which was sponsored on Feb. 17 by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Among the lawmakers joining her as a cosponsor are U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
If enacted, S. 3687 would specify that eligible consortiums could include partnerships between commercial industry, state and local government organizations, and academic or workforce training organizations, the bill summary says, noting that eligible consortiums would be designated as a Manufacturing Community for a five-year period, after which they could apply for re-designation for two additional two-year periods.
Once deemed eligible, the consortiums would receive assistance and investments in equipment or facility upgrades; workforce training, retraining or recruitment and retention; business incubators, advanced research and commercialization; supply chain development; assistance for small business concerns; and strategic planning assistance for consortiums that lack experience applying for federal assistance, according to the bill summary.
The bill has received support from the American Small Manufacturers Coalition, the National Association of Development Organizations, the National Association of Counties, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, the National Tooling and Machining Association, the North American Die Casting Association, the Precision Machined Products Association, the Precision Metalforming Association, and the National Skills Coalition.