[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5010-S5011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 801. Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Baldwin, Ms.
Klobuchar, Ms. Collins, Mr. King, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Blumenthal)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R.
2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. ___. PROGRAM TO DESIGNATE AND SUPPORT MANUFACTURING
COMMUNITIES.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Made
in America Manufacturing Communities Act of 2017''.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Manufacturing community support program.--The term
``Manufacturing Community Support Program'' means the program
established under section 3(a).
(2) Participating agency.--The term ``participating
agency'' means a Federal agency that elects to participate in
the Manufacturing Community Support Program.
(3) Participating program.--The term ``participating
program'' means a program identified by a participating
agency under section 3(c)(1)(C).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
(c) Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall establish a
program to improve the competitiveness of United States
manufacturing--
(1) by designating consortiums as manufacturing communities
under subsection (d); and
(2) by supporting manufacturing communities, as so
designated, under subsection (e).
(d) Designation of Manufacturing Communities.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (7), for
purposes of the Manufacturing Community Support Program, the
Secretary shall designate eligible consortiums as
manufacturing communities through a competitive process.
(2) Eligible consortiums.--
(A) In general.--An eligible consortium is a consortium
that--
(i) represents a region defined by the consortium in
accordance with subparagraph (B);
(ii) includes at least one--
(I) institution of higher education;
(II) private sector entity; or
(III) government entity;
(iii) may include one or more--
(I) private sector partners;
(II) institutions of higher education;
(III) government entities;
(IV) economic development and other community and labor
groups;
(V) financial institutions; or
(VI) utilities; and
(iv) has, as a lead applicant--
(I) a district organization (as defined in section 300.3 of
title 13, Code of Federal Regulations, or successor
regulation);
(II) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
450b)) or a consortium of Indian tribes;
(III) a State or a political subdivision of a State,
including a special purpose unit of a State or local
government engaged in economic or infrastructure development
activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;
(IV) an institution of higher education or a consortium of
institutions of higher education; or
(V) a public or private nonprofit organization or
association that has an application that is supported by a
State, a political subdivision of a State, or a native
community.
(B) Regions.--Subject to approval by the Secretary, a
consortium may define the region that it represents if the
region--
(i) is large enough to contain critical elements of the key
technologies or supply chain prioritized by the consortium;
and
(ii) is small enough to enable close collaboration among
members of the consortium.
(3) Duration.--Each designation under paragraph (1) shall
be for a period of two years.
(4) Renewal.--
(A) In general.--Upon receipt of an application submitted
under subparagraph (B), the Secretary may renew a designation
made under paragraph (1) for up to two additional two-year
periods. Any designation as a manufacturing community or
renewal of such designation that is in effect before the date
of the enactment of this Act shall count toward the limit set
forth in this subparagraph.
(B) Application for renewal.--An eligible consortium
seeking a renewal under subparagraph (A) shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(C) Modifications authorized.--The Secretary may renew a
designation under subparagraph (A) for an eligible consortium
that--
(i) has changed its composition, either by adding or
removing members; or
(ii) as part of its application under subparagraph (B),
submits a revision to the plan submitted under paragraph
(5)(B)(iv) or the strategy submitted under paragraph
(5)(B)(v).
(D) Evaluation for renewal.--In determining whether to
renew a designation of an eligible consortium under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall assess the eligible consortium based
upon--
(i) the performance of the consortium against the terms of
the consortium's most recent designation under paragraph (1)
and any post-designation awards the consortium may have
received;
(ii) the progress the consortium has made with respect to
project-specific metrics the consortium proposed in the
consortium's application for the most recent designation
under paragraph (1), particularly with respect to those
metrics that were designed to help communities track their
own progress;
(iii) whether any changes to the composition of the
eligible consortium or revisions to the plan or strategy
described in subparagraph (C)(ii) would improve the
competitiveness of United States manufacturing; and
(iv) such other criteria as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
(5) Application for designation.--
(A) In general.--An eligible consortium seeking a
designation under paragraph (1) shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may require.
(B) Contents.--Each application submitted to the Secretary
under subparagraph (A) include--
(i) a description of the regional boundaries of the
consortium;
(ii) a description of the manufacturing concentration of
the consortium, including an assessment of how the
manufacturing concentration of the consortium competitively
ranks nationally according to measures relating to
employment, sales, location quotients for an industry's level
of concentration, or such other measures as the Secretary
considers appropriate;
(iii) an integrated assessment of the local industrial
ecosystem of the region of the consortium, which may include
assessment of workforce and training, such as that involving
women and underrepresented minorities, supplier network,
research and innovation, infrastructure or site development,
[[Page S5011]]
trade and international investment, operational improvements,
and capital access components needed for manufacturing
activities in such region;
(iv) an evidence-based plan for developing components of
such ecosystem (selected by the consortium)--
(I) by making specific investments to address gaps in such
ecosystem; and
(II) by making the manufacturing of the region of the
consortium uniquely competitive;
(v) a description of the investments the consortium
proposes and the implementation strategy the consortium
intends to use to address gaps in such ecosystem;
(vi) a description of the outcome-based metrics,
benchmarks, and milestones that the consortium will track and
the evaluation methods the consortium will use while
designated as a manufacturing community to gauge performance
of the strategy of the consortium to improve the
manufacturing in the region of the consortium; and
(vii) such other matters as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
(6) Evaluation of applications.--The Secretary shall
evaluate each application received under paragraph (5) to
determine--
(A) whether the applicant demonstrates a significant level
of regional cooperation in their proposal; and
(B) how the manufacturing concentration of the applicant
competitively ranks nationally according to measures
described in paragraph (5)(B)(ii).
(7) Certain communities previously recognized.--Each
consortium that was designated as a manufacturing community
by the Secretary in carrying out the Investing in
Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative of the
Department of Commerce before the date of the enactment of
this Act shall be deemed a manufacturing community designated
under this subsection if such consortium is still designated
as a manufacturing community by the Secretary as part of such
initiative.
(e) Support for Designated Manufacturing Communities.--
(1) Preferential consideration.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (D), if
a member of a consortium designated as a manufacturing
community under subsection (d) seeks financial or technical
assistance under a participating program of a participating
agency, the head of such agency may give preferential
consideration to such member with respect to the awarding of
such financial or technical assistance if--
(i) such head considers the award of the financial or
technical assistance consistent with the economic development
strategy of the consortium; and
(ii) the member otherwise meets all applicable requirements
for the financial or technical assistance.
(B) Participating agencies.--The Secretary shall invite
other Federal agencies to become participating agencies of
the Manufacturing Community Support Program.
(C) Participating programs.--The head of each participating
agency shall identify all programs administered by such
participating agency that are applicable to the Manufacturing
Community Support Program.
(D) Multiple members of the same consortium seeking the
same financial or technical assistance.--
(i) In general.--If a participating agency receives
applications for the same financial or technical assistance
from more than one member of the same consortium designated
as a manufacturing community under subsection (d), the head
of such agency may determine how preference will be given
under subparagraph (A), including by requiring the consortium
to select which of the members should be given preference.
(ii) Coordination.--If the head of a participating agency
determines that more than one member of a consortium should
be given preference for financial or technical assistance
under subparagraph (A), he or she may require such members to
demonstrate coordination with each other in developing their
applications for the financial or technical assistance.
(E) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the head of each participating agency
shall submit a report to the Secretary that specifies how the
head will give preferential consideration under subparagraph
(A).
(2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may make a Federal
point of contact available to each consortium designated as a
manufacturing community under subsection (d) to help the
members of the consortium access Federal funds and technical
assistance.
(3) Financial and technical assistance.--
(A) In general.--Under the Manufacturing Community Support
Program, the head of a participating agency may award
financial or technical assistance to a member of a consortium
designated as a manufacturing community under subsection (d)
as he or she considers appropriate for purposes of such
program and consistent with the economic development strategy
of the consortium.
(B) Use of funds.--
(i) In general.--A recipient of financial or technical
assistance under subparagraph (A) may use such financial or
technical assistance to support an investment in an ecosystem
that will improve the competitiveness of United States
manufacturing.
(ii) Investments supported.--Investments supported under
this subparagraph may include--
(I) infrastructure;
(II) access to capital;
(III) promotion of exports and foreign direct investment;
(IV) equipment or facility upgrades;
(V) workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and
retention, including that of women and underrepresented
minorities;
(VI) energy or process efficiency;
(VII) business incubators;
(VIII) site preparation;
(IX) advanced research;
(X) supply chain development; and
(XI) small business assistance.
(4) Coordination.--
(A) Coordination by secretary of commerce.--The Secretary
shall coordinate with the heads of the participating agencies
to identify programs under paragraph (1)(C).
(B) Inter-agency coordination.--The heads of the
participating agencies shall coordinate with each other--
(i) to leverage complementary activities, including from
non-Federal sources, such as philanthropies; and
(ii) to avoid duplication of efforts.
(f) Receipt of Transferred Funds.--The Secretary may accept
amounts transferred to the Secretary from the head of another
participating agency to carry out this section.
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