[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1153 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1153
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National
Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 30, 2023
Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Baldwin, and Mr. Braun)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the National
Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, 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 ``National Manufacturing Advisory
Council for the 21st Century Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL MANUFACTURING ADVISORY COUNCIL.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Advisory council.--The term ``Advisory Council'' means
the National Manufacturing Advisory Council established under
subsection (b).
(2) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(E) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(F) the Committee on Small Business and
Entrepreneurship of the Senate;
(G) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives;
(H) the Committee on Education and Labor of the
House of Representatives;
(I) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives;
(J) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives;
(K) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives; and
(L) the Committee on Small Business of the House of
Representatives.
(3) Economically distressed area.--The term ``economically
distressed area'' means an area that meets 1 or more of the
requirements described in section 301(a) of the Public Works
and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161(a)).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy,
the United States Trade Representative, and the Secretary of Education,
shall establish within the Department of Commerce the National
Manufacturing Advisory Council.
(c) Mission.--The mission of the Advisory Council shall be to--
(1) provide a forum for--
(A) regular communication between the Federal
Government and the manufacturing sector, including
manufacturing workers, in the United States; and
(B) discussing and proposing solutions to problems
relating to the manufacturing sector in the United
States, including the manufacturing workforce, supply
chain interruptions, and other logistical challenges;
(2) advise the Secretary regarding policies and programs of
the Federal Government that affect manufacturing, including the
manufacturing workforce, in the United States; and
(3) annually produce a national strategic plan, as
described in subsection (g), that provides recommendations to
the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress
regarding how to help the United States remain the preeminent
destination throughout the world for investment in
manufacturing, which shall be based on the execution of the
duties of the Advisory Council.
(d) Duties.--The duties of the Advisory Council shall include the
following:
(1) Meeting not less frequently than once every 180 days,
in a manner to be determined by the Secretary, in order to
provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary
regarding issues involving manufacturing in the United States.
(2) Identifying and assessing the impact that technological
developments, critical production capacity, skill availability,
investment patterns, and emerging defense needs have on the
manufacturing competitiveness of the United States and
providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary regarding
that impact.
(3) Soliciting input from the public and private sectors
and academia relating to emerging trends in manufacturing, and
the responsiveness of Federal programming with respect to
manufacturing, and providing advice and recommendations to the
Secretary for areas of increased Federal attention with respect
to manufacturing.
(4) Identifying, and providing advice and recommendations
to the Secretary regarding, global and domestic manufacturing
trends and threats to the manufacturing sector in the United
States, including on matters such as supply chain
interruptions, logistical challenges, and technological changes
affecting the manufacturing base in the United States.
(5) Providing advice and recommendations to the Secretary
on matters relating to investment in, and support of, the
manufacturing workforce in the United States, including on
matters such as--
(A) worker participation, including through labor
organizations and through other methods determined by
the Advisory Council, in planning for the deployment of
new technologies across the manufacturing sector in the
United States and within workplaces in that sector;
(B) training and education priorities for the
Federal Government and employers to assist workers in
adapting the skills and experiences of those workers to
fit the demands of the manufacturing sector in the
United States in the 21st century;
(C) how the development of new technologies and
processes have impacted, and will impact, the
manufacturing workforce of the United States and the
economy of the United States, which shall be based on
input from manufacturing workers;
(D) management practices in the manufacturing
sector in the United States that lead to worker
employment, job quality, worker protection, worker
participation and power in decision making, and
investment in worker career success;
(E) policies and procedures that expand access to
jobs, career advancement opportunities, and management
opportunities for underrepresented populations; and
(F) how to improve access to demand-driven
manufacturing-related education, training, and re-
training for workers, including at community and
technical colleges, through other institutions of
higher education, and through apprenticeships and work-
based learning opportunities.
(6) Providing recommendations to the Secretary on ways to--
(A) provide--
(i) manufacturing-related worker education,
training, and development; and
(ii) entrepreneurship training relating to
manufacturing;
(B) connect individuals and businesses with
services described in subparagraph (A) that are offered
in the communities of those individuals or businesses;
(C) coordinate services relating to manufacturing
employee engagement, including employee ownership and
workforce training;
(D) connect manufacturers with community and
technical colleges, other institutions of higher
education, State or local workforce development boards
established under section 101 or 107 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111, 3122),
labor organizations, and nonprofit job training
providers to develop and support training and job
placement services, and apprenticeship and online
learning platforms, for new and incumbent manufacturing
workers;
(E) develop programming to prevent manufacturing
job losses in the United States as entities adopt new
technologies and processes; and
(F) develop best practices for manufacturers to
incorporate, or transition to, employee ownership
structures.
(7) With respect to the matters described in paragraphs (1)
through (6), soliciting input from--
(A) economically distressed areas; and
(B) areas of the United States in which foreign
competition has resulted in mass layoffs in the
manufacturing sector.
(8) Completing other specific tasks requested by the
Secretary.
(e) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Advisory Council shall--
(A) consist of individuals appointed by the
Secretary with a balance of backgrounds, experiences,
and viewpoints; and
(B) include individuals with manufacturing
experience who represent--
(i) private industry, including small and
medium-sized manufacturers and any relevant
standards development organizations or relevant
trade associations;
(ii) academia; and
(iii) labor.
(2) Public participation.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, accept recommendations from the
public regarding the appointment of individuals under paragraph
(1).
(3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--
(A) In general.--Each member of the Advisory
Council shall be appointed by the Secretary for a term
of 3 years.
(B) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew an
appointment made under subparagraph (A) for not more
than 2 additional terms.
(C) Stagger terms.--The Secretary may stagger the
terms of the members of the Advisory Council to ensure
that the terms of those members expire during different
years.
(D) Vacancies.--
(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), a
member appointed to fill a vacancy on the
Advisory Council occurring before the
expiration of the term for which the
predecessor of the newly appointed member was
appointed shall be appointed only for the
remainder of that term of the predecessor.
(ii) Further service.--A member of the
Advisory Council who is appointed for the
remainder of a term of a predecessor under
clause (i) may serve after the expiration of
that term of the predecessor and until the date
on which the Secretary has appointed a
successor.
(f) Transfer of Functions.--
(1) In general.--All functions of the United States
Manufacturing Council of the International Trade Administration
of the Department of Commerce, including the personnel, assets,
and obligations of the United States Manufacturing Council of
the International Trade Administration of the Department of
Commerce, as in existence on the day before the date of
enactment of this Act, shall be transferred to the Advisory
Council.
(2) Deeming of name.--Any reference in any law, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
United States Manufacturing Council of the International Trade
Administration of the Department of Commerce shall be deemed a
reference to the Advisory Council.
(3) Unexpended balances.--Unexpended balances of
appropriations, authorization, allocations, or other funds
related to the United States Manufacturing Council of the
International Trade Administration of the Department of
Commerce shall be available for use by the Advisory Council for
the purpose for which the appropriations, authorizations,
allocations, or other funds were originally made available.
(4) Existing advisory committee.--Any Federal advisory
committee of the Department of Commerce that is operating on
the day before the date of enactment of this Act under a
charter filed in accordance with section 1008(c) of title 5,
United States Code, for the purpose of addressing the purposes
and duties described in this section shall satisfy the
requirement under subsection (b) to establish the Advisory
Council if, not later than 90 days after that date of
enactment, the Federal advisory committee is modified, as
necessary, to comply with the requirements of this section.
(g) National Strategic Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the
date on which the Advisory Council holds the initial meeting of the
Advisory Council, and annually thereafter, the Advisory Council shall
submit to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of Congress--
(1) a national strategic plan for manufacturing in the
United States that is based on the execution of the duties of
the Advisory Council under subsection (d); and
(2) a detailed statement of the activities that the
Advisory Council conducted to carry out the duties of the
Advisory Council under subsection (d).
(h) Departmental Support.--In accordance with prevailing laws and
regulations, the Secretary, as the Secretary considers appropriate,
shall furnish to the Advisory Council relevant information that--
(1) is in the possession of the Department of Commerce; and
(2) relates to the mission of the Advisory Council.
(i) Inapplicability of Certain Provisions.--Chapter 10 of title 5,
United States Code, shall not apply with respect to the Advisory
Council or the activities of the Advisory Council.
(j) Sunset.--The Advisory Council shall terminate on September 30
of the fifth year after the year in which the Advisory Council holds
the first meeting of the Advisory Council.
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