Post by bot on Jun 11, 2014 19:26:07 GMT -5
New Bills Added to the Make It In America Jobs Plan
Today, House Democrats held a press conference to announce and discuss new jobs legislation being added to the Make It In America plan to strengthen manufacturing and bring jobs back to the U.S.
Click here for a full list of bills included in the Make It In America plan.
Here’s a look at the 23 new bills added to the Make It In America plan and the key themes that they support:
Adopt and Pursue a National Manufacturing Strategy:
• The Rebuild American Manufacturing Act (Rep. Braley, H.R. 1127): Directs the President to develop a national manufacturing strategy that would identify sectors and emerging technologies in which US manufacturing can grow and be most competitive internationally. The strategy would encourage manufacturing companies to locate in the United States and develop strategies to help those sectors of the manufacturing industry that have the potential to flourish in a 21st century global economy.
• Made In America Act (Rep. Carney, H.R. 2664): Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish a voluntary program under which manufacturers may have products certified and display labels that indicate to consumers the extent to which the products are manufactured in the United States.
• Rebuilding American Manufacturing Act of 2013 (Rep. Kind, H.R. 2940): Promotes American manufacturing by reducing the effective tax rate of domestic manufacturers to 20% by providing a 50% deduction to all business entities, regardless of business structure.
Encourage businesses to bring jobs and innovation back to the U.S.
• Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing (Rep. Cartwright, H.R. 4162): Creates a competitive grant program for states to develop innovative financing programs to assist manufacturing companies in improving energy efficiency.
• Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and Future Economic Resiliency (TRANSFER) Act (Rep. Kilmer and Rep. Chris Collins, H.R. 2981): Builds upon the current Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program by creating a Phase 0 grant for proof-of-concept research and other innovative approaches to technology transfer at institutions of higher education, non-profit research institutions and federal laboratories. These initial grants will help to lower the risk of research and development projects and accelerate the transfer of commercially viable federally funded research and technologies to the marketplace.
• Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014 (Rep. Kilmer, H.R. 3918): Strengthens and directs funding to the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Regional Innovation programs within the Department of Commerce that foster innovation and the commercialization of new technologies and encourage the development of regional innovation strategies to accelerate economic growth throughout the U.S.
• Small Business Growth and Investment Act of 2014 (Rep. Kuster, H.R. 4501): Facilitates small business growth by making permanent Section 179 of the U.S. tax code, which allows firms to deduct the full expense of purchasing or leasing equipment upfront instead of writing off these expenses over many years. This deduction frees up capital that companies can use to expand their operations and invest in hiring new workers. The limit for this provision has fluctuated in recent years and fell to $25,000 at the end of 2013. This bill would provide businesses with certainty by permanently restoring Section 179 to its 2009 level, allowing businesses to expense up to 250,000 in investments, with a phase-out for investments exceeding $800,000
• School Modernization and Revitalization Through Jobs Act (SMART Jobs Act) (Rep. Sean Maloney, H.R. 4826): Authorizes $6.4 billion for school facilities renovation projects for fiscal year 2015 to ensure that school districts will receive funds for school modernization, renovation, and repairs that create healthier, safer, and more energy-efficient places for teaching and learning. Requires the use of U.S.-made iron, steel and products in renovations. Authorizes separate funds – $600 million over six years – for renovations in public schools in Presidential Declared Disaster Areas still recovering from natural disasters.
• Presidential Make It In America Awards Act of 2014 (Rep. Nolan, H.R. 4825): Seeks to honor excellence and the extraordinary efforts of American manufacturers to create American jobs and strengthen our national economy. The President, based on recommendations from the Secretary of Commerce, will annually make three (3) major awards: 1) The Presidential Reshoring Award for the best example of returning jobs to the United States, 2) the Presidential Invest in American Award for the best example of major investments made to create new American jobs, and 3) the Presidential Foreign Direct Investment Award for the best example of a foreign investor creating or expanding a business venture that creates new American jobs.
• Accelerate Our Manufacturers Act (Rep. Schneider and Rep. Rice, H.R. 4822): First-year capital cost recovery for manufacturers: Allow manufacturers to depreciate 100% of the cost of capital equipment purchased for the manufacturing process in the first year (instead of depreciating it over a period of years).
Train and Secure a 21st Century Work Force
• The American Manufacturing Jobs for Students Act (Rep. Brownley, H.R. 4815): Encourages school counselors to connect 7th-12th grade students with career information and opportunities with local manufacturing businesses and employers. The bill will also support student engagement and professional relationships with local businesses through workplace visits and hands-on learning experiences.
• The Skills Gap Strategy Act (Rep. Cartwright, H.R. 4541): Directs the Department of Labor to develop a strategy to train our workforce to develop the workplace skills needed by the private sector. This training will help companies fill vacancies, reduce unemployment, and close the skills gap.
• The On-The-Job Training Act (Rep. Crowley, H.R. 3971): Authorizes the Department of Labor to set up a separate, competitive grant program so local agencies, school districts, industry associations and institutions of higher education can establish and support local on-the-job (OJT) training programs. These programs connect unemployed workers with jobs and give employers assistance in providing workers with training for industry-recognized skills and credentials.
• Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act (Rep. DelBene, H.R. 4629): Accelerates skills training for U.S. veterans in manufacturing career pathways, ensures veterans have the tools needed to translate their military skills to the civilian workforce, and encourages manufacturers to recruit, hire, and train our nation’s returning heroes. It would direct the Department of Labor to award $50 million in grants over the next 5 years to establish pilot State Manufacturing Employment Programs to support on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and certification classes for eligible veterans through employers and labor-management organizations.
• Workers Opportunity and Retraining Competitive (WORC) Grant Program Act of 2014 (Rep. Enyart, H.R. 4824): Establishes a manufacturing grant program to provide scholarships to unemployed workers for manufacturing job retraining. These scholarships will be available through local Workforce Investment Boards and will fund manufacturing skill enhancement programs for unemployed workers at community and technical colleges, and through other eligible providers.
• Innovative STEM Networks Act (Rep. Garcia, H.R. 4828): Establishes a program to provide competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish “STEM Innovation Networks” in partnership with institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, other public agencies, and businesses to increase the number of students who are effectively prepared for postsecondary education and careers in STEM fields. These partnerships will develop comprehensive plans for identifying, developing, testing and implementing evidence-based practices to provide rich STEM learning opportunities for students in participating schools, with a strong focus on aiding high-need schools. STEM Innovation Networks will employ a wide range of strategies—depending on local needs— in areas such as the recruitment, preparation, and professional development of effective STEM educators; the development and testing of teaching and learning models that enable students to successfully prepare for STEM careers; and student engagement in STEM activities both in and out of school.
• The Education for Jobs Act (Rep. Lujan Grisham, H.R. 4832): Promotes workforce development by expanding federal student loan programs to working professionals and others who may have difficulty meeting current requirements.
• Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (Rep. Hinojosa, H.R. 3697): Increases investment in adult education and coordinates and integrates adult education with occupational skills training, postsecondary education, and career pathways. Our economy will not recover to its full potential unless we invest in adult education and support adult learners and workers in developing the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the global economy.
• Youth Access to American Jobs Act of 2014 (Rep. Horsford, H.R. 4827): Establishes a pilot competitive grant program to promote public-private partnerships between industry, local educational authorities, and institutions of higher learning to foster direct pathways for students entering the manufacturing field. A 2-2-2 program would take students in their final two years of secondary education through three, two-year phases: 2 years of STEM-intensive secondary education, 2 years completing an associate’s degree in a relevant field of study, and 2 years in a state-apprenticeship program in the manufacturing field.
• Twenty-First Century Manufacturing Skills and Jobs Act (Rep. Kildee, H.R. 4831): Builds on successful efforts in Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and North Dakota to help community colleges partner with local businesses to provide training for new manufacturing jobs. The bill provides a federal match equal to the state training reimbursement programs. The federal government will provide reimbursement to the community college every quarter. By matching the state contribution generated from the newly employed worker's income tax payments, the federal initiative will repay the community college more quickly and dramatically increase the number of eligible companies and workers that can participate.
• The Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act (Rep. Carolyn Maloney, H.R. 4833): Authorizes competitive grant programs for three years through the National Science Foundation to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to participate in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. The grants will go to online workshops, mentoring programs, internships, and outreach programs to engage women and minorities in STEM university departments, educational partnerships, and non-profit organizations.
• JOBS Act of 2014 (Rep. Richmond, H.R. 4207): Expands the use of Pell Grants to allow eligible individuals to utilize them for short-term job training. Currently Pell Grants are available only to low-income students at two-year or four-year colleges as well as vocational or technical programs. This does not include job training programs which fall under 300 clock hours and 16 weeks. The programming in the JOBS Act can bring us one step closer to a more well qualified workforce and greater economic opportunity for a larger segment of Americans.
• The Building Understanding, Investment, Learning, and Direction (BUILD) Career and Technical Education Act of 2014 (Rep. Schrader, H.R. 4782): Creates a two-year, $20 million pilot program to support efforts to restart career and technical education program in middle and high schools that suffered during the economic downturn.
Click here to read the PDF.
www.democraticwhip.gov/sites/default/files/NewMIIABills061114.pdf