[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 399 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 399
To establish the United States Chief Manufacturing Officer in the
Executive Office of the President with the responsibility of developing
a national manufacturing strategy to revitalize the manufacturing
sector, spur economic growth, and expand United States competitiveness,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 15, 2017
Mr. Coons (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Daines) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the United States Chief Manufacturing Officer in the
Executive Office of the President with the responsibility of developing
a national manufacturing strategy to revitalize the manufacturing
sector, spur economic growth, and expand United States competitiveness,
and for other purposes.
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 ``Chief Manufacturing Officer Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) The manufacturing sector consists of establishments
that are primarily engaged in the transformation of materials,
substances, or components into products.
(2) The Federal Government supports manufacturing in a
variety of ways; manufacturing-related activities are scattered
in several agencies in the executive branch.
(3) Manufacturing employment, output, and exports are
impacted by tax policies, the state of infrastructure and
transportation, small business regulations, environmental
regulations, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, workforce
development, and education initiatives, with national security
implications.
(4) Manufacturers account for 12 percent of the total gross
domestic product output in the United States, employing 9
percent of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing is
more than 2 trillion dollars. There are more than 12 million
manufacturing employees in the United States, with an average
annual compensation of about $80,000.
(5) Legislative policies and executive actions often result
in unintended, inconsistent, and conflicting outcomes with
respect to the growth of manufacturing in the United States.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a well-
designed national manufacturing strategy would benefit the United
States economy in several important ways:
(1) A revitalized manufacturing sector would enable the
United States to derive more of its economic growth from
exports and domestic production than the United States has in
the past two decades.
(2) Average domestic wages would rise in response to
growing manufacturing output, as manufacturing jobs
historically have paid higher wages and benefits than
nonmanufacturing jobs.
(3) A growing manufacturing sector would help lay a
foundation for future United States economic growth, since
manufacturing industries perform the vast share of private-
sector research and development, which fuels the innovation
that serves as a primary engine of economic growth.
(4) The United States would expand its long-standing
leadership in advanced manufacturing technologies with Federal
investments in manufacturing research and development,
education, and workforce training.
(5) There has always been a strong connection between
domestic manufacturing and national defense and homeland
security. A strong and innovative manufacturing industry will
maintain the superiority of the United States military and will
allow for an unquestionable ability to respond quickly to
threats and catastrophes.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that
term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(3) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit
organization'' means an organization that is described under
section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt
from tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, territory,
or possession of the United States, and each federally
recognized Indian tribe.
(5) State educational agency.--The term ``State educational
agency'' has the meaning given that term in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801).
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES CHIEF MANUFACTURING OFFICER.
(a) Appointment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall appoint a United
States Chief Manufacturing Officer (referred to in this section
as the ``Chief Manufacturing Officer'').
(2) Qualifications.--The President shall select the Chief
Manufacturing Officer from among individuals who have basic
qualifications and expertise in manufacturing technology and
policy.
(3) Reporting.--The position of Chief Manufacturing Officer
shall be in the Executive Office of the President and shall
report to the President through the Chief of Staff.
(4) National economic council.--The Chief Manufacturing
Officer shall be a member of the National Economic Council.
(b) Pay.--The annual rate of pay for the Chief Manufacturing
Officer shall be an Executive Schedule rate of pay (subchapter II of
chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code), as determined by the
President, commensurate with the qualifications and expertise of the
individual appointed to be such Officer.
(c) Duties.--The duties of the Chief Manufacturing Officer are as
follows:
(1) To develop the national manufacturing strategy
described in subsection (d) not later than May 1, 2018.
(2) To advise the President on policy issues that affect
the economic activities and the workforce of the manufacturing
sector.
(3) To foster the coordination of manufacturing-related
policies and activities across agencies by--
(A) encouraging the use of best innovative
manufacturing practices across the Federal Government;
(B) ensuring the use of best information
technologies and cybersecurity practices for
manufacturing; and
(C) analyzing the status of manufacturing
technology needs across agencies.
(4) To conduct technology policy analyses to improve United
States manufacturing productivity, technology, and innovation,
and cooperate with the United States manufacturing industry in
the improvement of its productivity, technology, and ability to
compete successfully in world markets.
(5) To determine the influence of economic, labor, and
other conditions, industrial structure and management, and
government policies on technological developments in
manufacturing sectors worldwide.
(6) To identify technological needs, problems, and
opportunities within and across the manufacturing sector that,
if addressed, could make a significant contribution to the
economy of the United States.
(7) To assess whether the capital, technical, and other
resources being allocated to manufacturing are likely to
generate new technologies, are adequate to meet private and
social demands for goods and services, and are sufficient to
promote productivity and economic growth.
(8) To propose studies and policy experiments, in
cooperation with agencies, to determine the effectiveness of
measures with the potential of advancing United States
technological innovation in manufacturing.
(9) To encourage the creation of joint initiatives by State
and local governments, regional organizations, private
companies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit
organizations, or Federal laboratories to encourage technology
transfer, to stimulate innovation, and to promote an
appropriate climate for investment in manufacturing-related
industries.
(10) To propose manufacturing-related cooperative research
involving appropriate agencies, State or local governments,
regional organizations, institutions of higher education,
nonprofit organizations, or private companies to promote the
common use of resources, to improve training programs and
curricula, to stimulate interest in high technology
manufacturing careers, and to encourage the effective
dissemination of manufacturing technology skills within the
wider community.
(11) To serve as a focal point for discussions among
companies that manufacture in the United States on topics of
interest to the manufacturing industry and workforce, including
discussions regarding emerging and advanced technologies.
(12) To promote Federal Government measures, including
legislation, regulations, and policies with the potential of
advancing United States technological innovation in
manufacturing and exploiting manufacturing innovations of
foreign origin.
(13) To develop strategies and policies that would
encourage manufacturing enterprises to maintain production
facilities and retain manufacturing jobs in the United States
and use manufacturing supply chains based in the United States.
(14) To support communities negatively impacted by the
closure or relocation of manufacturing facilities by promoting
efforts to revitalize communities for new manufacturing
enterprises.
(15) To assist States in their economic development plans
for manufacturing and in their efforts to relocate
manufacturing facilities within the United States rather than
moving manufacturing outside of the United States.
(16) To promote the goals of the Network for Manufacturing
Innovation Program established under section 34 of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s).
(17) To encourage participation of public and private
organizations, State educational agencies, and institutions of
higher education in the annual celebration of National
Manufacturing Day to enhance the public perception of
manufacturing.
(18) To perform such other functions or activities as the
President may assign.
(d) National Manufacturing Strategy.--
(1) In general.--The national manufacturing strategy
developed under subsection (c)(1) shall contain a summary of
the current state of manufacturing in the Federal Government
and comprehensive strategies for--
(A) identifying and addressing the anticipated
workforce needs of the manufacturing sector;
(B) strengthening education and the required
training and certifications for manufacturing;
(C) creating training and appropriate career paths
to manufacturing jobs for veterans and others that have
become unemployed;
(D) promoting the development of quality control
and other technical standards;
(E) maintaining reliable physical and
telecommunications infrastructure, and the required
investments in infrastructure projects, as needed, for
manufacturing;
(F) analyzing the status of manufacturing
technology needs in the industrial sector and providing
recommendations for economic and labor force
expansions;
(G) monitoring technology directions and analyzing
strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities in
the United States manufacturing sector;
(H) implementing appropriate tax incentives and
credits to assist manufacturing enterprises in
improving their competitiveness;
(I) recommending Federal and State regulations to
reduce the cost of manufacturing and improve
productivity;
(J) promoting the export of United States
manufactured goods and enforcement of fair trading
rules;
(K) identifying other forms of assistance to
companies that manufacture in the United States to
successfully compete in world markets;
(L) coordinating the United States national
manufacturing strategy with the manufacturing strategy
of each State to ensure a well-integrated national
strategy; and
(M) addressing such other issues as the President
determines necessary.
(2) Incorporation of other strategic plans.--The Chief
Manufacturing Officer shall incorporate into the national
manufacturing strategy described in paragraph (1) the
following:
(A) The national strategic plan for advanced
manufacturing developed under section 102(c) of the
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C.
6622(c)).
(B) The strategic plan developed for the Network
for Manufacturing Innovation Program under section
34(f)(2)(C) of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s(f)(2)(C)).
(e) Annual Updates.--The Chief Manufacturing Officer, in
consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget,
shall submit annual updates to the President and Congress that describe
the progress made toward--
(1) achieving the objectives of the national strategic plan
for advanced manufacturing developed under section 102(c) of
the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C.
6622(c)); and
(2) carrying out the national manufacturing strategy
developed under this section, including implementing strategies
for--
(A) promoting innovation and investment in domestic
manufacturing;
(B) supporting the development of a skilled and
diverse manufacturing workforce;
(C) promoting equitable trade policies;
(D) expanding exports of manufactured goods;
(E) enabling global competitiveness;
(F) encouraging sustainability; and
(G) supporting national security.
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