[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5555 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5555

 To establish a manufacturing cluster program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 12, 2021

 Mr. Delgado (for himself and Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
  Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and 
    Technology, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a manufacturing cluster program, 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; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Manufacturing 
American Dynamism in Entrepreneurship and Harnessing Education to 
Retool Employees Act'' or the ``MADE HERE Act''.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) a strong domestic manufacturing base is a national 
        security priority and advances in manufacturing technology, 
        workforce development, and supply chains contribute to the 
        resilience of the defense industrial base;
            (2) the manufacturing workforce is aging with no new 
        generation rising up to replace them;
            (3) the median age of manufacturing workers is above 
        average and rising at a higher rate than the general workforce;
            (4) this is a national security threat, as well as a threat 
        to the economic prosperity of the United States;
            (5) there is a shortage of manufacturing and technology 
        educators;
            (6) there are many workers with some technical or 
        manufacturing skills who are unemployed or underemployed 
        because they lack the right skills or certifications to work in 
        advanced manufacturing;
            (7) such workers include former employees of low-skilled 
        manufacturing plants that have closed, as well as veterans 
        leaving military service;
            (8) many manufacturing businesses are using legacy 
        equipment with cyber vulnerabilities and do not have recently 
        trained employees to bring newer equipment online;
            (9) strengthening the innovation pipeline from fundamental 
        research to technology development to entrepreneurial training 
        can lead to new products, processes, and business models for 
        manufacturers; and
            (10) expanding the creation and utilization of 
        manufacturing clusters for technology, economic, and workforce 
        development is critical for the future of American 
        competitiveness.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``covered agency'' means each of the following 
        Federal agencies:
                    (A) The National Institute of Standards and 
                Technology.
                    (B) The Department of Energy.
                    (C) The Department of Defense.
            (2) The term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        of Science and Technology Policy.
            (3) The term ``eligible manufacturing cluster'' means a 
        manufacturing cluster that consists of--
                    (A) entities with physical presence in the United 
                States and with majority United States ownership; and
                    (B) at least two of the following:
                            (i) Institutions of higher education.
                            (ii) High schools.
                            (iii) Service member and veteran education 
                        programs carried out by the Secretary of 
                        Defense.
                            (iv) Private sector companies, including 
                        small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
                            (v) Nonprofit organizations, including 
                        Labor organizations.
                            (vi) State and local government agencies.
                            (vii) Federally funded entities including 
                        the Manufacturing USA Institutes and 
                        Manufacturing Extension Partnership, national 
                        laboratories, and FFRDC's.
                            (viii) Other entities at the discretion of 
                        the Director.
            (4) The term ``manufacturing cluster'' means a geographic 
        concentration of companies and institutions within a particular 
        field of manufacturing that engage or propose to engage 
        collaboratively in workforce development, technology 
        development, supply chain sourcing, and other activities.

SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY ENTITY.

    (a) In General.--The Director shall establish or designate an 
interagency entity (hereinafter referred to as the ``entity'') to 
oversee and coordinate the activities of manufacturing cluster programs 
at Federal agencies. The entity shall be chaired by the Director of the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, the Secretary of Energy, and the 
Secretary of Defense.
    (b) Members.--The entity established under subsection (a) shall be 
appointed by representatives of Federal entities and may include 
representatives of the following (or successor entities):
            (1) The Office of Advanced Manufacturing of the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology.
            (2) The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for 
        Acquisition and Sustainment of the Department of Defense.
            (3) The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for 
        Research and Engineering of the Department of Defense.
            (4) The Advanced Manufacturing Office of the Office of 
        Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of 
        Energy.
            (5) The Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the 
        Food and Drug Administration.
            (6) The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the 
        Economic Development Administration of the Department of 
        Commerce.
            (7) The National Science Foundation.
            (8) The Workforce Investment Boards of the Department of 
        Labor.
            (9) Not fewer than five State Workforce Investment Boards 
        from geographically diverse regions of the United States.
            (10) The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education 
        of the Department of Education.
            (11) The Transition Assistance Program of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (12) Representatives of additional entities, as the 
        Director may specify.
    (c) Coordination.--In convening the entity, the Director of OSTP is 
encouraged to consider overlap and coordination with existing 
committees, subcommittees, or other groups under the National Science 
and Technology Council such as the Committee on Technology Advanced 
Manufacturing Subcommittee.
    (d) Duties.--The duties of the entity are the following:
            (1) Developing specific goals and priorities for 
        manufacturing cluster programs based on the National Strategic 
        Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.
            (2) Providing guidance to agencies relating to the 
        competitive selection process and selection criteria for 
        manufacturing clusters.
            (3) Facilitating coordination among manufacturing cluster 
        programs throughout the Federal Government.
            (4) Providing guidance to, and facilitating best practices 
        sharing among, Federal agencies hosting manufacturing cluster 
        programs on mentoring, training, courses, and other resources 
        provided to clusters.
    (e) Reports.--Beginning one year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act and triennially thereafter, the entity shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report on all manufacturing 
cluster programs carried out pursuant to this Act. Such report shall 
include--
            (1) an overview of the activities of the manufacturing 
        clusters; and
            (2) an assessment of the progress of such clusters in 
        advancing the goals and priorities developed by the entity.
    (f) Application of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply with respect to 
the entity.
    (g) Sunset.--The entity shall terminate on December 31, 2031.

SEC. 4. MANUFACTURING CLUSTER PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The head of each covered agency shall establish a 
manufacturing cluster program under which the head of such covered 
agency, over three distinct phases described in subsection (d), awards 
resources and grants to, or enter cooperative agreements with eligible 
manufacturing clusters.
    (b) Selection.--
            (1) Selection criteria.--
                    (A) In general.--The head of each covered agency 
                shall, taking into account guidance issued by the 
                entity established under section 3, establish selection 
                criteria for the selection of resource and grant 
                recipients under the manufacturing cluster program 
                established by such agency. Such criteria shall 
                include--
                            (i) the collaborativeness of the proposal, 
                        as evidenced by whether the proposed activities 
                        inherently benefit from collaboration between 
                        two or more member entities in a cluster, such 
                        as shared training programs or facilities, 
                        collaborative research, development, and 
                        demonstration, or shared supply chain 
                        development;
                            (ii) the innovativeness of the idea, as 
                        determined by the review panel under paragraph 
                        (2);
                            (iii) the ability of the cluster to carry 
                        out the proposal;
                            (iv) the impact of the proposed activity on 
                        the local, regional, and national manufacturing 
                        economy and workforce;
                            (v) the sustainability and long-term impact 
                        of the proposed cluster; and
                            (vi) the degree to which the proposal aims 
                        to leverage, coordinate with, and is 
                        strategically aligned with ongoing efforts, 
                        such as--
                                    (I) voluntary education programs of 
                                the Department of Defense under part 68 
                                of title 32, Code of Federal 
                                Regulations;
                                    (II) Manufacturing USA Institutes;
                                    (III) Manufacturing Extension 
                                Partnerships initiatives, including the 
                                State Policy Academy;
                                    (IV) the Investing in Manufacturing 
                                Communities Partnership sites;
                                    (V) the Manufacturing Technology 
                                Program of the Department of Defense 
                                established under section 2521 of title 
                                10, United States Code;
                                    (VI) State workforce investment 
                                programs; and
                                    (VII) additional criteria as 
                                specified by the Director.
                    (B) Matching funds.--The selection criteria 
                established under subparagraph (A) may include the 
                amount of matching funds available. Proposals shall not 
                be required to include the provision of matching funds 
                by the cluster receiving the grant involved.
            (2) Review panel.--
                    (A) In general.--The head of each covered agency 
                shall each appoint a review panel, to be comprised of 
                not fewer than 9 individuals that are experts in 
                advanced manufacturing, to evaluate manufacturing 
                cluster proposals based on the criteria set by such 
                head of a covered agency under paragraph (1)(A) and to 
                recommend eligible manufacturing clusters to such head 
                of each covered agency for selection for each phase of 
                the program.
                    (B) Outside entity.--The head of each covered 
                agency may contract with an outside entity to 
                administer a competitive selection process based on the 
                criteria established by the head of each covered agency 
                under paragraph (1)(A).
    (c) Use of Funds.--An eligible manufacturing cluster may use grant 
funds under paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (d) to--
            (1) develop and deploy training and educational programs 
        and facilities to benefit multiple cluster members;
            (2) fund efforts with respect to supply chain sourcing and 
        innovation;
            (3) fund collaborative research, development, and 
        demonstration;
            (4) develop shared infrastructure or resources for 
        production, transportation, cybersecurity, and workforce 
        development among members of the cluster;
            (5) convene workshops and other forums to improve alignment 
        among participants in the regional manufacturing economy; and
            (6) strengthen ties and relationships within the cluster 
        and assess the impact of the cluster on the region.
    (d)  Program Phases.--
            (1) Phase 1.--
                    (A) In general.--For the first phase of the program 
                (referred to in this section as ``Phase 1''), the head 
                of each covered agency shall select eligible 
                manufacturing clusters for an award described in 
                subparagraph (C) for the purpose of assisting such 
                eligible manufacturing clusters in the development of a 
                detailed implementation plan for each proposal 
                submitted under subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Application.--An eligible manufacturing cluster 
                applying for Phase 1 shall submit an application 
                containing a description of--
                            (i) the members of the cluster;
                            (ii) the needs of the local, regional, and 
                        national manufacturing economy and workforce 
                        that the cluster intends to address;
                            (iii) a proposal for activities described 
                        in subsection (c) to address such needs; and
                            (iv) a plan for transition of manufacturing 
                        cluster activities to the private sector.
                    (C) Award.--The head of each covered agency may 
                provide an eligible manufacturing cluster selected for 
                an award under Phase 1 mentoring, training, and courses 
                to cover topics including--
                            (i) problem selection and curation;
                            (ii) iterative refinement based on feedback 
                        from potential beneficiaries to ensure plans 
                        are tailored to regional needs or problem;
                            (iii) development of effective teams;
                            (iv) validation of the repeatability and 
                        scalability of the plan; and
                            (v) other entrepreneurial best practices.
            (2) Phase 2.--
                    (A) In general.--For the second phase of the 
                program (referred to in this section as ``Phase 2''), 
                the head of each covered agency shall select eligible 
                manufacturing clusters for an award described in 
                subparagraph (C) for the purpose of implementing the 
                plan submitted under subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Application.--An eligible manufacturing cluster 
                applying for Phase 2 shall submit an application 
                containing--
                            (i) a description of--
                                    (I) the members of the cluster;
                                    (II) the needs of the local, 
                                regional, and national manufacturing 
                                economy and workforce that the cluster 
                                intends to address; and
                                    (III) a proposal for activities 
                                described in subsection (c) to address 
                                such needs;
                            (ii) with respect to Phase 1, a description 
                        of mentoring and training activities and an 
                        analysis of whether such use was successful; 
                        and
                            (iii) a detailed implementation plan for 
                        such proposal.
                    (C) Award.--
                            (i) In general.--The head of each covered 
                        agency may award an eligible manufacturing 
                        cluster selected for an award under phase 2--
                                    (I) a grant of not more than 
                                $3,000,000 over a 3-year period to 
                                execute the plan described in 
                                subparagraph (B)(ii); and
                                    (II) mentoring, training, and 
                                courses described in paragraph (1)(C) 
                                that the head of such agency determines 
                                appropriate to assist in the execution 
                                of such plan.
            (3) Phase 3.--
                    (A) In general.--For the third phase of the program 
                (referred to in this section as ``Phase 3''), the head 
                of each covered agency shall select eligible 
                manufacturing clusters for an award described in 
                subparagraph (C) for the purpose of continuing the 
                activities of the cluster under Phase 2.
                    (B) Application.--
                            (i) Timing.--Not earlier than 2 years after 
                        the date on which an eligible manufacturing 
                        cluster receives funds under Phase 2, such 
                        eligible manufacturing cluster may apply for 
                        Phase 3.
                            (ii) Content.--To apply for Phase 3, an 
                        eligible manufacturing cluster shall submit a 
                        report containing a description of the 
                        activities of such cluster under Phase 2 and 
                        the impacts of such activities, including--
                                    (I) a list of the organizations and 
                                individuals served by such activities;
                                    (II) facilities built or dedicated;
                                    (III) technologies, curricula, and 
                                educational programs developed;
                                    (IV) extent of coordination with 
                                existing Federal, State, and local 
                                government resources;
                                    (V) extent of coordination with 
                                private sector entities; and
                                    (VI) the success of Phase 2 and an 
                                assessment of whether the award would 
                                enable new development and success.
                    (C) Award.--The head of each covered agency may 
                award an eligible manufacturing cluster selected for an 
                award under Phase 3--
                            (i) a grant of not more than $10,000,000 
                        over a 5-year period to continue the activities 
                        of the eligible manufacturing cluster under 
                        Phase 2; and
                            (ii) mentoring, training, and courses 
                        described in paragraph (1)(C) that the head of 
                        such agency determines appropriate to assist in 
                        the execution of such activities.
    (e) Report.--For each eligible manufacturing cluster selected for 
Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3, the relevant head of each covered agency 
shall make public a report describing--
            (1) the members of the eligible manufacturing cluster;
            (2) a description of the proposed activities;
            (3) a description of how the proposed activities meet the 
        country's strategic needs for advanced manufacturing; and
            (4) if applicable, a description of the activities of the 
        cluster under the prior phase of the program.
    (f) Mentor, Training, and Course Resources.--
            (1) Contract authority.--The head of each covered agency 
        may enter into a memorandum of understanding with another 
        Federal agency or contract with an entity outside the Federal 
        Government to carry out the mentoring, training, and courses 
        under each phase of the program.
            (2) Costs.--The head of each covered agency shall cover the 
        cost of participation in mentoring, training, and courses, 
        including necessary travel expenses, for each applicant 
        selected under each phase of the program.
            (3) Limitations.--The head of each covered agency may 
        restrict the number of individuals from each cluster selected 
        under this paragraph that are allowed to participate in 
        mentoring, training, and courses under each phase of the 
        program to not fewer than 3 individuals.
    (g) Funding.--
            (1) Nonfederal funds.--An eligible manufacturing cluster 
        receiving a grant under a manufacturing cluster program 
        established pursuant to this section may accept in-kind and 
        financial contributions from private sector entities, nonprofit 
        organizations, and State and local governments.
            (2) Assessment.--Upon the completion of Phase 3 by an 
        eligible manufacturing cluster, the relevant head of a covered 
        agency shall conduct an assessment of the impact of the 
        cluster's activities on the regional manufacturing economy and 
        assess the degree to which the cluster advanced the country's 
        strategic needs for advanced manufacturing. The head of such 
        covered agency may decide, based on such assessment, to 
        continue funding the cluster for an additional 5 years or 
        terminate funding.
            (3) Termination.--If the head of a covered agency decides 
        to terminate funding for an eligible manufacturing cluster, at 
        any phase--
                    (A) that cluster may continue to operate on other 
                sources of Federal or non-Federal funding; and
                    (B) upon that the head of the covered agency 
                involved shall initiate a new multi-phase selection 
                process for an eligible manufacturing cluster to 
                replace it, focused on needs identified in the most 
                recent National Strategic Plan for Advanced 
                Manufacturing.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    (A) In general.--There are authorized to be 
                appropriated to carry out this Act--
                            (i) to the Director of the National 
                        Institute of Standards and Technology, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, $20,000,000 
                        for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2030, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2031;
                            (ii) to the Secretary of Energy, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, $20,000,000 
                        for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2030, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2031; and
                            (iii) to the Secretary of Defense, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, $20,000,000 
                        for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2030, 
                        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2031.
                    (B) Transfer of funds.--Amounts available to the 
                head of each covered agency for programs and activities 
                consistent with the purposes of the manufacturing 
                cluster programs established pursuant to this section 
                may be transferred to carry out such manufacturing 
                cluster programs. The amount of funds authorized to be 
                appropriated under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year 
                shall be increased by any amounts so transferred.
                                 <all>