National Institute of Manufacturing Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1069 To establish the National Institute of Manufacturing, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 12, 2021 Mr. PETERS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To establish the National Institute of Manufacturing, 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 Institute of 4 Manufacturing Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 8 National Manufacturing Advisory Council estab- 9 lished under section 4. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1069 IS (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 1 the Director of the Institute and the principal advi- 2 sor to the Secretary regarding manufacturing issues. 3 (3) INSTITUTE.—The term ‘‘Institute’’ means 4 the National Institute of Manufacturing established 5 under section 3. 6 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 7 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 8 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 10 (5) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec- 11 ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 12 section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu- 13 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 14 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 15 the Secretary of Commerce. 16 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MAN- 17 UFACTURING. 18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 19 Department of Commerce an institute to be known as the 20 ‘‘National Institute of Manufacturing’’. 21 (b) MISSION.—The primary missions of the Institute 22 are to— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1069 IS (1) ensure global leadership in advanced manu- 1 facturing technologies critical to the long-term eco- 2 nomic and national security of the United States; 3 (2) restore and strengthen the United States 4 industrial commons, which includes the essential 5 skills, equipment, and suppliers that provide the 6 foundation for the innovativeness and competitive- 7 ness of all United States manufacturers; 8 (3) strengthen the technical, financial, and edu- 9 cational conditions and assets necessary to ensure 10 that the United States is the best location for the 11 creation and production of advanced technologies 12 emerging from national research and development 13 investments; 14 (4) capitalize on the scientific and technological 15 advances produced by researchers and innovators in 16 the United States by developing capable and respon- 17 sive institutions focused on advancing the technology 18 and manufacturing readiness levels of those ad- 19 vances; 20 (5) support the discovery, invention, scale-up, 21 and transition of new products and manufacturing 22 technologies to full-scale production in the United 23 States; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1069 IS (6) address the evolving needs of manufacturers 1 to find a diverse set of workers with the necessary 2 skills, training, and expertise; 3 (7) improve and expand manufacturing engi- 4 neering and technology offerings within institutions 5 of higher education and secondary schools to be 6 more closely aligned with the needs of the United 7 States manufacturing sector and the goal of 8 strengthening the long-term competitiveness of 9 United States manufacturing; and 10 (8) work collaboratively with the private sector 11 to leverage the knowledge, resources, and programs 12 of the private sector to foster manufacturing in the 13 United States and anticipate and prepare for emer- 14 gencies and global, national, and regional supply 15 chain disruptions. 16 (c) FUNCTIONS.—In carrying out the purposes of this 17 Act, the Institute shall— 18 (1) convene key industry, academic, and other 19 stakeholders to identify short-, medium-, and long- 20 term needs and priorities of the manufacturing sec- 21 tor in the United States, including emergency readi- 22 ness; 23 (2) monitor the status of technological develop- 24 ments, critical production capacity, skill availability, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1069 IS investment patterns, emerging defense needs, and 1 other key indicators of manufacturing competitive- 2 ness, such as key indicators from manufacturing 3 dealers, to guide investment decisions; 4 (3) initiate and support discovery, invention, 5 and translational research in engineering and manu- 6 facturing by making contracts or other arrange- 7 ments, including grants, awards, cooperative agree- 8 ments, loans, and other forms of assistance, to con- 9 duct that research and to assess the impact of that 10 research on the economic well-being, climate, and 11 national security of the United States; 12 (4) administer programs that incentivize and 13 facilitate collaboration among private and public sec- 14 tor stakeholders in United States manufacturing; 15 (5) award scholarships and graduate fellowships 16 in the engineering and manufacturing disciplines; 17 (6) award industrial, academic, and govern- 18 mental fellowships to faculty and retired manufac- 19 turing experts to support the manufacturing inter- 20 ests of the United States; 21 (7) advise United States manufacturers on 22 international trade and investment policies in inter- 23 national markets and advise the Federal Govern- 24 ment on how to expand business opportunities for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1069 IS United States manufacturers in international mar- 1 kets; 2 (8) develop and assess key indicators of manu- 3 facturing competitiveness, including the geographic 4 diversity of manufacturing in the United States, and 5 provide interpretation and analysis of collected data 6 on the manufacturing sector in the United States; 7 (9) provide small and medium manufacturers, 8 including new startups, with financial support, in- 9 cluding loans, counseling, training, technical assist- 10 ance, and advocacy; and 11 (10) identify opportunities to achieve commer- 12 cial-scale production of emerging technologies by 13 leveraging government procurement contracts. 14 (d) DIRECTOR.— 15 (1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Director of 16 the Institute, who shall— 17 (A) be appointed by the President, by and 18 with the consent of the Senate; 19 (B) oversee all Institute activities; 20 (C) serve as an ex-officio member of the 21 Council; 22 (D) make recommendations regarding, and 23 manage, the budget of the Institute; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1069 IS (E) advise and consult with the Secretary 1 on all policy issues relating to manufacturing. 2 (2) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY OF THE NA- 3 TIONAL INSTITUTE OF MANUFACTURING.— 4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 5 provided, the Director shall exercise all of the 6 authority granted to the Institute under this 7 Act, including any powers and functions that 8 may be delegated to the Director by the Sec- 9 retary. 10 (B) FINAL ACTIONS.—All actions taken by 11 the Director under this Act, or under the terms 12 of a delegation described in subparagraph (A), 13 shall be final and binding upon the Institute. 14 (3) DUTIES AS DIRECTOR.—The Director 15 shall— 16 (A) coordinate all activities within the De- 17 partment of Commerce relating to manufac- 18 turing and advise and consult with the Sec- 19 retary on all policy issues relating to manufac- 20 turing; 21 (B) advise and consult with the Secretary 22 on the national security supply chain; 23 (C) monitor the status of technological de- 24 velopments, critical production capacity, skill 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1069 IS availability, investment patterns, emerging de- 1 fense needs, and other key indicators of manu- 2 facturing competitiveness to coordinate with the 3 Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary 4 for Administration of the Department of Com- 5 merce in developing the annual budgets for 6 manufacturing-related programs of the Depart- 7 ment of Commerce; 8 (D) oversee and convene the Council; and 9 (E) solicit input from the public and pri- 10 vate sectors and academia regarding emerging 11 trends in manufacturing and the responsiveness 12 of Federal programming. 13 (4) TERM.—The Director shall serve for a term 14 of 6 years, unless removed earlier by the President. 15 (e) DIRECTORATES.—Unless otherwise provided by 16 the Director, there shall be within the Institute the fol- 17 lowing Directorates: 18 (1) A Directorate for Technology Development, 19 which shall— 20 (A) make competitive awards to support 21 discovery, invention, and translational research 22 in the fields of engineering and manufacturing; 23 (B) conduct prize competitions in accord- 24 ance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1069 IS Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 1 3719) to stimulate innovation that has the po- 2 tential to advance manufacturing technology; 3 (C) administer a pilot program establishing 4 translational research centers associated with 5 institutions of higher education, which will 6 guide and fund research needed to translate 7 laboratory results to testable beta prototypes 8 and facilitate connections with domestic manu- 9 facturers to scale domestic production; and 10 (D) administer other programs and activi- 11 ties that promote technology development. 12 (2) A Directorate for the Industrial Commons, 13 which shall— 14 (A) administer the Investing in Manufac- 15 turing Communities Partnership; 16 (B) administer the Manufacturing USA 17 Program established under section 34 of the 18 National Institute of Standards and Technology 19 Act (15 U.S.C. 278s); and 20 (C) administer other programs and activi- 21 ties that promote robust manufacturing innova- 22 tion ecosystems and support manufacturing 23 supply chains in the United States during emer- 24 gencies. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1069 IS (3) A Directorate for Education and Workforce 1 Development, which shall— 2 (A) make competitive awards for scholar- 3 ships and graduate fellowships; 4 (B) make competitive awards for indus- 5 trial, academic, and governmental fellowships to 6 faculty and retired manufacturing experts; 7 (C) make competitive awards for research, 8 development, and evaluation of innovative train- 9 ing programs; and 10 (D) administer programs and activities 11 that promote the short-term and long-term 12 workforce and education needs of the manufac- 13 turing sector. 14 (4) A Directorate for Small and Medium Manu- 15 facturers, which shall— 16 (A) administer programs for loans, invest- 17 ment capital, and surety bonds for small and 18 medium manufacturing firms; 19 (B) administer the Hollings Manufacturing 20 Extension Partnership Program established 21 under 25 of the National Institute of Standards 22 and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1069 IS (C) administer other programs and activi- 1 ties that help small and medium manufacturers 2 prosper. 3 (5) A Directorate on Trade, which shall— 4 (A) manage and oversee an Office of Man- 5 ufacturer Trade, which shall— 6 (i) advise manufacturers in the United 7 States on trade; 8 (ii) advise the United States Trade 9 Representative, the Undersecretary of 10 Commerce for International Trade, and 11 other entities in the Federal Government 12 on trade to benefit manufacturers in the 13 United States; 14 (iii) receive and solicit recommenda- 15 tions and feedback from manufacturers in 16 the United States; and 17 (iv) appoint an employee of the Office 18 to serve as a liaison between— 19 (I) the Office; and 20 (II)(aa) the United States Trade 21 Representative; and 22 (bb) the Industry Trade Advisory 23 Committees on Aerospace Equipment, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1069 IS Automotive Equipment and Capital 1 Goods, and Steel; and 2 (B) manage and oversee a United States 3 Manufacturer Trade Council, which shall— 4 (i) receive and solicit recommenda- 5 tions and feedback from manufacturers in 6 the United States; and 7 (ii) in addition to voting members, be 8 composed of ex-officio members of the In- 9 dustry Trade Advisory Committees de- 10 scribed in subparagraph (A)(iv)(II)(bb). 11 (f) AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the duties of the 12 Director under this Act, the Director may— 13 (1) appoint or create such advisory committees 14 as may be appropriate for purposes of consultation 15 and advice to the Institute in the performance of the 16 functions of the Institute; 17 (2) issue rules governing the manner of oper- 18 ations of the Institute; 19 (3) make expenditures necessary for admin- 20 istering the provisions in this Act; 21 (4) enter into contracts or other arrangements 22 with organizations and individuals in the United 23 States and foreign countries as the Director deter- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:32 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1069.IS S1069 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •S 1069 IS mines necessary to carry out the functions of the In- 1 stitute; 2 (5) award scholarships and fellowships to citi- 3 zens of the United States for the purpose of study 4 or scientific work in manufacturing; 5 (6) acquire, construct, hold, and dispose of real 6 and personal property as the Director determines 7 necessary; and 8 (7) accep [Text truncated for display. 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