National Manufacturing Advisory Council for the 21st Century Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1044 To establish the National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 25, 2021 Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To establish the National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Manufac- 4 turing Advisory Council for the 21st Century Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. NATIONAL MANUFACTURING ADVISORY COUNCIL. 6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 7 (1) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 8 Council’’ means the National Manufacturing Advi- 9 sory Council established under subsection (b). 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1044 IS (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Commerce. 2 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 3 Department of Commerce the National Manufacturing 4 Advisory Council. 5 (c) MISSION.—The mission of the Advisory Council 6 shall be to— 7 (1) ensure regular communication between the 8 Federal Government and the manufacturing sector 9 in the United States; 10 (2) advise the Secretary regarding policies and 11 programs of the Federal Government that affect 12 United States manufacturing; 13 (3) provide a forum for discussing and pro- 14 posing solutions to problems relating to the manu- 15 facturing industry in the United States; and 16 (4) ensure that the United States remains the 17 preeminent destination throughout the world for in- 18 vestment in manufacturing. 19 (d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Advisory Council 20 shall include— 21 (1) meeting from time to time to provide inde- 22 pendent advice and recommendations to the Sec- 23 retary regarding issues involving United States man- 24 ufacturing; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1044 IS (2) completing specific tasks requested by the 1 Secretary; 2 (3) conveying input from key industry, labor, 3 academic, defense, governmental, and other stake- 4 holders to aid in the development of a national stra- 5 tegic plan for manufacturing in the United States; 6 (4) monitoring the status of technological devel- 7 opments, critical production capacity, skill avail- 8 ability, investment patterns, emerging defense needs, 9 and other key indicators of manufacturing competi- 10 tiveness to provide foresight for periodic updates to 11 the national strategic plan for manufacturing devel- 12 oped under paragraph (3); 13 (5) soliciting input from the public and private 14 sectors and academia regarding emerging trends in 15 manufacturing, the responsiveness of Federal pro- 16 gramming with respect to manufacturing, and sug- 17 gestions for areas of increased Federal attention 18 with respect to manufacturing; 19 (6) monitoring global manufacturing trends and 20 global threats to manufacturing sectors in the 21 United States; and 22 (7) with respect to the manufacturing.gov 23 website, providing input and improvements in order 24 to— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1044 IS (A) make that website more user-friendly 1 so as to enhance the ability of that website to— 2 (i) provide information to manufactur- 3 ers; and 4 (ii) receive feedback from manufactur- 5 ers; 6 (B) assist that website in becoming the 7 principal place of interaction between manufac- 8 turers in the United States and Federal pro- 9 grams relating to manufacturing; and 10 (C) permit that website to provide assist- 11 ance to manufacturers relating to— 12 (i) international trade and investment 13 matters; 14 (ii) research and technology develop- 15 ment opportunities; 16 (iii) workforce development and train- 17 ing programs and opportunities; 18 (iv) small and medium manufacturer 19 needs; and 20 (v) industrial commons and supply 21 chain needs. 22 (e) MEMBERSHIP.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Advisory Council 24 shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1044 IS (A) consist of individuals, appointed by the 1 Secretary, with a balance of backgrounds, expe- 2 riences, and viewpoints; and 3 (B) include individuals with manufacturing 4 experience who directly represent private indus- 5 try, academia, and labor. 6 (2) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary 7 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, accept rec- 8 ommendations from the public regarding the ap- 9 pointment of individuals under paragraph (1). 10 (f) INAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COM- 11 MITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 12 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply with respect to the Advisory 13 Council or the activities of the Advisory Council. 14 (g) TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—All functions of the United 16 States Manufacturing Council of the International 17 Trade Administration of the Department of Com- 18 merce, including the personnel, assets, and obliga- 19 tions of the United States Manufacturing Council of 20 the International Trade Administration of the De- 21 partment of Commerce, as in existence on the day 22 before the date of enactment of this Act, shall be 23 transferred to the Office of the Secretary. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1044 IS (2) DEEMING OF NAME.—Any reference in law, 1 regulation, document, paper, or other record of the 2 United States to the United States Manufacturing 3 Council of the International Trade Administration of 4 the Department of Commerce shall be deemed a ref- 5 erence to the Advisory Council. 6 (3) UNEXPENDED BALANCES.—Unexpended 7 balances of appropriations, authorization, alloca- 8 tions, or other funds related to the United States 9 Manufacturing Council of the International Trade 10 Administration of the Department of Commerce 11 shall be available for use by the Secretary for which 12 the appropriations, authorizations, allocations, or 13 other funds were originally made available. 14 (h) SUNSET.—The Advisory Council shall terminate 15 on September 30, 2025. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:53 Apr 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S1044.IS S1044 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS