The Association for Manufacturing Technology’s (AMT) Board of Directors sent a letter to the U.S. congressional leadership requesting action on a bipartisan manufacturing agenda for 2014.
The letter urges House and Senate leaders to consider legislation where there is common ground, and it points to several initiatives with bipartisan support that could strengthen U.S. manufacturing if enacted into law.
Those initiatives include the reauthorization of America COMPETES ACT; the renewal of trade promotion authority; and passage of tax, regulatory and immigration reforms.
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The Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI) recently passed the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The bipartisan bill, introduced by senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), would establish a national network of regional manufacturing institutes modeled after America Makes (NAMII), the pilot institute in Youngstown, Ohio, which is focused on additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
The Senate RAMI bill includes a provision added as an amendment requiring the president to submit an updated National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing to Congress every four years.
AMT’s Manufacturing Mandate calls for a formal national framework to strengthen a public-private collaboration focused on boosting innovation, increasing global competitiveness and building a Smartforce for today’s American manufacturing sector.
“Jumpstarting American manufacturing is the clear path toward sustainable economic growth, improved national security, and building a 21st century workforce,” the board’s letter states. “Congress has the responsibility of ensuring that a competitive manufacturing sector is at the top of the legislative agenda.”
Read the entire AMT Board letter here.
