[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY COMPETITIVENESS ACT

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                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 6, 2005

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 250, ``The 
Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act.'' I introduced this 
legislation in the 108th Congress, and it was passed by the House. I am 
re-introducing it in this Congress in the precise form passed last 
year. I am doing this because the global competitiveness of U.S. 
manufacturing remains a pressing issue.
  This bill will help address long-term problems facing our nation's 
manufacturers by coordinating existing federal manufacturing programs, 
creating a new program to revive manufacturing innovation through 
collaborative research and development, and broadening and 
strengthening manufacturing extension.
  Although manufacturing has experienced tremendous technological gains 
over the last few years, international competition has exacted a 
terrible toll on our nation's manufacturers. In particular, our small- 
and medium-sized firms are under tremendous pressure to become more 
efficient, to modernize, and to cut their prices. There is no evidence 
that these pressures are likely to go away.
  In my conversations with manufacturers, I learned of their deep 
concern that the decline of manufacturing in the U.S. is undermining 
our ability to innovate. Innovation is the key to the development of 
new industries, without which our economy could stagnate. Governments 
of our global competitors are eagerly supporting investments in 
manufacturing R&D because they know that it is the foundation for 
sustained economic development.
  If we are to continue to be the world technological leader, we need 
to rise to this new global challenge by supporting our manufacturers. 
The Manufacturing Technology Competitiveness Act, which received broad 
support in the House in the 108th Congress, will accomplish that by:
  Creating an Interagency Committee that will coordinate the existing 
federal manufacturing research and development activities to ensure 
that they work as effectively and harmoniously as possible;
  Creating a new collaborative research and development program for 
manufacturing technology;
  Reauthorizing the critical programs at the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal research laboratory 
dedicated to ensuring U.S. leadership in technology-based standards and 
industries;
  Creating a fellowship program at NIST to develop U.S. manufacturing 
research expertise; and
  Reauthorizing and creating a new grant program within the 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program so that the MEP 
Centers can extend their expertise to a range of problems beyond their 
current scope of activities.
  Mr. Speaker, globalization is in full swing. It is incumbent upon 
this Congress to provide a coherent federal response to the changes 
that are underway in manufacturing, and to support the technological 
innovation that is fundamental to retaining our manufacturing strength. 
This bill provides a mechanism for that crucial response and I look 
forward to working with my colleagues on this issue in the 109th 
Congress.

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