Katko co-sponsors bipartisan effort to establish manufacturing communities

U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced bipartisan legislation on Tuesday that would establish a program designed to bolster manufacturing in designated regions.

Under the Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act, specific regions could be designated “manufacturing communities.” Manufacturing communities would be eligible for federal economic development funding to promote private investment in local manufacturing.

“Manufacturing is the backbone of Central New York’s economy,” Katko, a co-sponsor of a House version of the bill, said. “In order to move our region’s economy forward, we must work to move manufacturing forward. 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.”

Under the bill, the first step to earn a manufacturing community designation would be to establish the significance of manufacturing. Next, strategies would need to be developed to promote investment in six areas – workplace training and retention, advanced research, infrastructure and site development, supply chain support, exports and direct foreign investment, and operational improvement.

“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,” Gillibrand, the author of the bill, said.

In addition to Katko, U.S. Reps. Richard Hanna (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) are co-sponsors of the House bill.