[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8472-H8473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MANUFACTURING.GOV ACT

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6290) to provide for the establishment of a section of the 
website of the Department of Commerce that shall serve as the primary 
hub for information relating to Federal manufacturing programs, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6290

       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 ``Manufacturing.gov Act''.

     SEC. 2. MANUFACTURING.GOV HUB.

       (a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Secretary'' 
     means the Secretary of Commerce.
       (b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with 
     the Chief Information Officer of the Department of Commerce, 
     shall modify the manufacturing.gov website by establishing a 
     section of the website to be known as the ``manufacturing.gov 
     hub''.
       (c) Functions.--The manufacturing.gov hub established under 
     subsection (b) shall--
       (1) serve as the primary hub for information relating to 
     every Federal manufacturing program, including the programs 
     identified in the report of the Government Accountability 
     Office entitled ``U.S. Manufacturing'' (GAO 17-240), 
     published on March 28, 2017;
       (2) provide the contact information of relevant program 
     offices carrying out the Federal manufacturing programs 
     described in paragraph (1);
       (3) provide an avenue for public input and feedback 
     relating to--
       (A) the functionality of the website of the Department of 
     Commerce;
       (B) the Federal manufacturing programs described in 
     paragraph (1); and
       (C) any other manufacturing-related challenges experienced 
     by manufacturers in the United States;
       (4) establish web pages within the hub that shall focus 
     on--
       (A) technology and research and development;
       (B) trade;
       (C) workforce development and training;
       (D) industrial commons and supply chains; and
       (E) small and medium manufacturers; and
       (5) use machine learning to--
       (A) identify frequently asked questions; and
       (B) disseminate to the public answers to the questions 
     identified under subparagraph (A).
       (d) No Additional Funds.--No additional funds are 
     authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of carrying out 
     this section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 6290.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 6290, the 
Manufacturing.gov Act.
  America's competitiveness helped build the largest, most dynamic 
economy in the world. But America's competitiveness is facing 
unprecedented challenges.
  Once the envy of the world, our manufacturing base has faced steady 
headwinds for decades now. Between 2002 and 2020, our Nation's share of 
global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent to just over 17 
percent. Five million manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2000. 
Investment in America's small and medium manufacturers, the bedrock of 
our industrial might, has also declined over the last 20 years by over 
$200 billion.
  To support economic growth and opportunity, we must ensure that the 
United States has a vibrant, thriving industrial base. It must be 
capable of developing the technologies and manufacturing the products 
essential for economic development and prosperity in the 21st century. 
Fortunately, there are dozens of programs across the Federal Government 
that provide support for American manufacturing, but today, there is no 
centralized repository of information about these programs.
  Manufacturing programs cannot have their intended effect if not used, 
and programs cannot be used if potential beneficiaries are not aware 
that they exist.
  The Manufacturing.gov Act requires the Department of Commerce to 
ensure that the Manufacturing.gov website serves as the primary hub for 
information relating to Federal manufacturing programs. This critical 
web page will arm beneficiaries with the information they need to tap 
into these vital manufacturing programs.
  The Manufacturing.gov Act was unanimously reported out of the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 54-0 in July.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I rise today in support of H.R. 6290, the 
Manufacturing.gov Act.
  H.R. 6290 will require the Department of Commerce to designate a 
portion of the Manufacturing.gov website to serve as a source for 
businesses to have access to information relating to Federal 
manufacturing programs.
  As part of the website, the Department of Commerce must make 
available contact information for relevant program offices carrying out 
manufacturing programs, web pages that focus on topics such as trade, 
workforce development, and small and medium manufacturers, as well as 
provide an avenue for public input and feedback related to Federal 
manufacturing programs.
  Our country faced many challenges, as our chairman said, during the 
COVID-19 pandemic, especially our manufacturing businesses.
  I thank Representative Tonko, Representative Axne, and Representative 
Upton, former chairman of the full committee, for their work on this 
legislation to provide such businesses with resources to help them get 
back on their feet. This is so vitally needed, Mr. Speaker.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this particular piece of legislation, 
and let's get it to the Senate as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), the sponsor of this bill and chair 
of our Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pallone) for yielding.
  The Manufacturing.gov Act is a vital piece of legislation that 
supports American manufacturers, boosting our economy, our job growth, 
and our global competitiveness.
  The COVID crisis has strained our supply chains and limited factory 
production abilities, overwhelmingly hurting the middle-class workers 
who drive our Nation's economy and our industry.
  Congress has a duty to support manufacturers and their workers in 
every way possible, and that includes making it easier to navigate what 
Federal resources are available to them.
  The Manufacturing.gov Act offers a simple, bipartisan solution to do 
just that. This legislation establishes a one-stop hub to centralize 
the 58 different Federal manufacturing programs that span some 11 
Federal agencies.
  It also encourages public feedback by offering an online avenue for 
people to

[[Page H8473]]

submit comments and concerns regarding such programs.
  Now is the time to secure our supply chain and give local 
manufacturers in my home State of New York and across our great Nation 
the tools they need to identify the Federal support they will need to 
help them flourish.
  I thank Representatives Axne and Upton, as well as Senator Peters, 
for being great collaborators on this bill. I urge my colleagues to 
come together to bolster our United States manufacturing arena.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I encourage us to pass this bill as soon 
as possible in a bipartisan fashion, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this on a 
bipartisan basis. It is certainly a goal of this Congress to bring back 
manufacturing and do whatever we can to encourage domestic 
manufacturing.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6290, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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