SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH FIRST-EVER NAT’L NETWORK OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING HUBS INCLUDED IN JUST-UNVEILED OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL – PLAN COULD BOOST MANUFACTURING INNOVATION IN UPSTATE NY, A PRIME CANDIDATE FOR ONE OF 15 HUBS

Schumer, Gillibrand: Upstate NY Cities Would Be Ideal Candidates for New Center of Advanced Manufacturing

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Omnibus spending bill – a must-pass bill just unveiled today that funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year – includes Schumer and Gillibrand-sponsored legislation that would create the first-ever national network of manufacturing hubs. Schumer and Gillibrand said cities across Upstate New York would be prime candidates for one of these new hubs. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), called the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI) would establish a National Network of Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) and create thousands of high-paying, high-tech manufacturing jobs while enhancing the United States’ role as the world’s leader in advanced manufacturing. RAMI would bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and all levels of government, to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications. Schumer recently called both House and Senate appropriators to ensure this legislation would be included in the omnibus bill. The omnibus bill will be voted on by the House and Senate this week. Once the bill clears Congress it will head to the President’s desk for his final signature.

“Upstate New York deserves the chance to lead the nation in high-tech manufacturing, and this first-ever legislation to create 15 manufacturing hubs could do just that,” said Senator Schumer. “I pushed to make sure this legislation could be considered before the end of this Congress because it has the potential to transform cities in Upstate New York that have a storied history and promising future in high-tech research, innovation and manufacturing,” said Schumer. “I am urging my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the President’s desk. I will fight tooth and nail to figure out a way to bring one of these new manufacturing hubs to New York.”

“We must see Made in America again, starting right here in upstate New York,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This legislation will help rebuild America’s proud manufacturing tradition and ensure our country remains globally competitive. New York’s great manufacturing communities are best positioned to be home to one of these innovation hubs, sparking more growth in high-tech manufacturing sectors, jumpstarting new businesses, and creating good-paying jobs right here where we need them the most.”

As part of his budget for fiscal year 2013, President Obama recommended investing $1 billion to create a network of 15 manufacturing hubs called Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMI). While an initial pilot hub center was opened in Ohio in 2012, and President Obama indicated his desire to create three additional pilot centers on an interim basis funded through the Energy and Defense Departments, ultimately the President urged Congress in his State of the Union Address that year to pass legislation authorizing the full network of centers. Schumer and Gillibrand worked with Senators Brown and Blunt to develop the first-ever legislation to create these unique manufacturing hubs – each intended to specialize in its own specific technology.

The goal of this investment is to more closely connect research and development activities to the utilization of technological innovations in American manufacturing. Schumer and Gillibrand share the President’s vision for a concrete plan that trains American workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs and creates incentives to keep jobs in the United States. In his State of the Union address, the President expressed his commitment to partner with businesses with the goal of investing in American-made technologies and American workers.

RAMI would bring together industry, universities and community colleges, federal agencies, and all levels of government, to accelerate manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications. These public-private institutes would leverage resources to bridge the gap between basic research and product development. Each Institute will 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. Schumer and Gillibrand noted that there are several public-private partnerships in Upstate New York that would vie for this nationwide manufacturing designation.

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