WASHINGTON, DC - A bipartisan manufacturing bill backed by U.S. Senator Jack Reed cleared an initial hurdle in the U.S. Senate this week.  The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act, which seeks to create a national network of manufacturing hubs, bringing together industry, academic institutions, federal agencies, and all levels of government to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications.

"I want to help expand advanced manufacturing in Rhode Island and bring more good paying, middle-class jobs to the state now and in the future.  This bill will help bring businesses, trade groups, and top academic researchers together to make America the global leader in advanced manufacturing,” said Reed.

Senator Reed is working with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) on legislation (S.1468) to create a National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).  Specifically, their bill would establish public-private institutes that leverage investments to bridge the gap between basic research and product development, provide shared assets to help companies—particularly small and medium-size manufacturing enterprises—access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, and create an environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills.  Each Institute would serve as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence, providing the innovation infrastructure to support regional manufacturing and ensuring that our manufacturing sector is a key pillar in an economy that is built to last.  This model has been successfully deployed in other countries and would address a gap in the U.S. manufacturing innovation infrastructure.

American manufacturing contributed $1.87 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2012, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, nearly 12% of GDP.  And the New England Council reports that in Rhode Island, the annual average manufacturing wage in 2011 was $66,629, compared with $46,375 for all other jobs.

Rhode Island ranked 9th in the nation for manufacturing-job growth, according to a recent study by Arizona State University.  The study showed a 2.78 percent growth rate in manufacturing jobs in the Ocean State, which totaled about 40,7000 as of January 2014.  The previous year, the study placed Rhode Island 21st in the nation for manufacturing-job growth.

To help local manufacturers, Senator Reed has secured federal funding for the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services (RIMES), a nonprofit funded jointly by the federal and private investments.  RIMES has a strong record of helping local small and medium-sized manufacturers in the state with improving operations and increasing efficiency.  Reed helped secure $750,000 in federal Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) funding for the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation to help local manufacturers accelerate development and adoption of cutting edge manufacturing technologies.  Reed also helped the state land a $100,000 first round “Investing in Manufacturing Community Partnership” (IMCP) grant to help Commerce RI and its collaborative partners enact long-term economic development strategies intended to create a business environment that leads to well-paying, sustainable manufacturing jobs.

Another key initiative in revitalizing our manufacturing base is Senator Reed’s Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (S. 1400), which creates and supports avenues for adults to continue their education and build their career skills.  By better aligning education and workforce training programs to the jobs that are available we can help people get the jobs of today and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.

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