[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8785 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8785

    To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a committee to 
 evaluate the manufacturing capacity for products and industries that 
  are crucial to the resilience of the United States during national 
   emergencies or severe disruptions in global trade, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 19, 2020

  Ms. Finkenauer (for herself and Mr. Lamb) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a committee to 
 evaluate the manufacturing capacity for products and industries that 
  are crucial to the resilience of the United States during national 
   emergencies or severe disruptions in global trade, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Building Back American Manufacturing 
Act'' or ``B-BAM Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMITTEE ON BUILDING BACK AMERICAN MANUFACTURING.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Labor, shall 
establish an advisory committee to be known as the Committee on 
Building Back American Manufacturing (in this section referred to as 
the ``Committee'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Committee shall be composed of the 
        following:
                    (A) The Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary's 
                designee.
                    (B) The Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary's 
                designee.
                    (C) The Secretary of Labor, or the Secretary's 
                designee.
                    (D) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or 
                the Secretary's designee.
                    (E) The Secretary of Homeland Security, or the 
                Secretary's designee.
                    (F) The Secretary of Transportation, or the 
                Secretary's designee.
                    (G) The Secretary of the Treasury, or the 
                Secretary's designee.
                    (H) The Secretary of Energy, or the Secretary's 
                designee.
                    (I) The Administrator of the Small Business 
                Administration, or the Administrator's designee.
                    (J) The Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, 
                or the Chairman's designee.
                    (K) Two members who represent organized labor, to 
                be selected and appointed by the Labor Advisory 
                Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy.
                    (L) Two members each, appointed by--
                            (i) the Speaker of the House of 
                        Representatives;
                            (ii) the minority leader of the House of 
                        Representatives;
                            (iii) the majority leader of the Senate;
                            (iv) the minority leader of the Senate; and
                            (v) the President of the United States.
                    (M) The head of any other agency or a designee as 
                determined by the Secretary of Commerce, in 
                consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the 
                Secretary of Labor.
            (2) Requirements.--Of the 10 members appointed under 
        paragraph (1)(L), the members shall be comprised of the 
        following:
                    (A) Individuals with expertise in private industry.
                    (B) Individuals with experience working with State 
                and local governments.
                    (C) Academics and those with research experience in 
                this field.
                    (D) Members of a trade group or association.
    (c) Duties.--The Committee shall carry out the following duties:
            (1) Review and report on the strength, integrity, and 
        capacity of the manufacturing base of the United States and 
        supply chain for crucial, strategic resources and products in 
        the United States as identified by the Committee, including--
                    (A) identifying strategic resources that are 
                obtained or purchased from a foreign person or imported 
                into the United States;
                    (B) reporting on the benefits of increasing 
                production of strategic resources identified under 
                subparagraph (A) in the United States;
                    (C) identifying single-point-of-failure, 
                vulnerabilities, or areas where there is a threat of 
                disruption in the distribution and supply chain of 
                strategic resources and ways to diversify manufacturing 
                and supply chains; and
                    (D) assessing workforce readiness and the 
                availability of high-skilled labor.
            (2) Develop proposals to diversify production lines within 
        the United States, including--
                    (A) the potential benefits of various tax credits;
                    (B) long-term and low-interest rates loans;
                    (C) grants;
                    (D) investments in workforce development;
                    (E) research and technology sharing agreements; and
                    (F) any other proposals that support and attract 
                investment in manufacturing in the United States.
            (3) Consider methods to increase consumer awareness of 
        products made in the United States and the benefits the 
        purchase of these products has on communities and workers, 
        including--
                    (A) strengthening the enforcement of ``Made in 
                U.S.A.'' claims by the Federal Trade Commission; and
                    (B) improving the information that retailers 
                provide to consumers on the country of origin of 
                products, including those for online sales.
            (4) Recommend policy proposals to improve production and 
        acquisition of materials and products in the United States that 
        have been identified by the Committee to be critical products 
        and supplies where access can be severely limited in the event 
        of global supply chain disruption.
            (5) Determine resulting workforce needs to improve the 
        production and acquisition of such materials and products in 
        the United States.
            (6) Review ways to disseminate best practices, technical 
        expertise, funding, or financing opportunities, and foster 
        industry collaborations that improve the competitiveness of 
        manufacturers in the United States.
            (7) Review existing domestic content policies and report on 
        the following:
                    (A) Ways to improve compliance with the policy or 
                policies.
                    (B) The processes and considerations for granting 
                waivers under law.
                    (C) Identify programs, materials, and products not 
                currently covered by applicable United States 
                preference laws and regulations.
                    (D) Provide recommendations to extend similar 
                provisions that would increase the use of goods 
                sourced, manufactured, or assembled in the United 
                States to programs, materials, and products according 
                to subparagraph (C).
    (d) Critical Products and Supplies.--The Committee shall identify 
products and industries to be further developed that are critical for 
United States national and economic interests, including--
            (1) defense war-time production;
            (2) materials and products for construction and 
        infrastructure projects;
            (3) raw materials and supplies required for the production 
        of technology that the Committee determines is critical; and
            (4) products and materials needed to respond to a pandemic 
        or other global health crisis.
    (e) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the 
Committee is established, and every 2 years thereafter for 4 years, the 
Committee shall submit to Congress a report--
            (1) that details the findings of the Committee and include 
        recommendations for policies and actions to improve 
        manufacturing independence in the United States for products 
        that the Committee has determined are critical to meet 
        identified targets; and
            (2) that details how to strengthen the requirements for 
        United States content under section 313 of title 23, United 
        States Code, or chapter 83 of title 41, United States Code 
        (commonly referred to as the Buy American Act).
    (f) Termination.--The Committee shall terminate on the date on 
which the final report is submitted pursuant to subsection (e).
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