[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND MANUFACTURING STIMULATION 
                              ACT OF 2007

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                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 17, 2007

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce with my 
colleagues ``The Technology Innovation and Manufacturing 
Competitiveness Act.'' I introduced legislation in both the 108th and 
109th Congresses focused on strengthening U.S. manufacturing, and both 
times it was passed by the House. I am pleased that this bill contains 
many of the same provisions as well as others, since the global 
competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing remains a pressing issue.
  The President's American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), started in 
2006, launched a three-pronged approach to competitiveness by 
strengthening research at the National Science Foundation, Office of 
Science at the Department of Energy, and the laboratories and 
construction of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST). This bill addresses the last of these agencies by fully 
supporting the ACI requested improvements, as well as reauthorizing 
programs at NIST crucial to our global competitiveness.
  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.
  This bill will help address long-term problems facing our nation's 
manufacturers by broadening and strengthening manufacturing extension 
services and creating a new program to revive manufacturing innovation 
through collaborative research and development.
  Specifically, this bill will address the competitiveness needs of our 
Nation by:
  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 new collaborative research and development 
program for manufacturing technology; creating a fellowship program at 
NIST to develop U.S. manufacturing research expertise; 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; and establishing the Technology Innovation Program and 
Advisory Board to help bring more innovative technologies to market.
  I want to thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for working 
in a bipartisan manner to introduce this bill, which addresses such an 
important topic to our nation. I appreciate the efforts of the majority 
to consider the input of the minority members of the Science and 
Technology Committee.
  Madam Speaker, it is incredibly important to our future for this 
nation to remain competitive today. Congress must 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 110th Congress.




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