,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eigh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #bf1       
#bjbj,mr4 ,lipinski introduced the      
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1
 and in addition to the ,committees on  
,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and  
,armed ,services1 for a period to be    
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to establish a manufacturing
 cluster program1 and for other         
purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 sense of   
,congress  7a7 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,manufacturing      
,american ,dynamism in ,entrepreneurship
 and ,harnessing ,education to ,retool  
,employees ,act or the ,,made ,,here    
,act4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is   
the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 a    
strong domestic manufacturing base is a 
national security priority and advances 

in manufacturing technology1 workforce  
development1 and supply chains          
contribute to the resilience of the     
defense industrial base2  7#b7 the      
manufacturing workforce is aging with no
 new generation rising up to replace    
them2  7#c7 the median age of           
manufacturing workers is above average  
and rising at a higher rate than the    
general workforce2  7#d7 this is a      
national security threat1 as well as a  
threat to the economic prosperity of the
 ,united ,states2  7#e7 there is a      
shortage of manufacturing and technology
 educators2  7#f7 there are many workers
 with some technical or manufacturing   
skills who are unemployed or            
underemployed because they lack the     
right skills or certifications to work  
in advanced manufacturing2  7#g7 such   
workers include former employees of     
low-skilled manufacturing plants that   
have closed1 as well as veterans leaving
 military service2  7#h7 many           
manufacturing businesses are using      

legacy equipment with cyber             
vulnerabilities and do not have recently
 trained employees to bring newer       
equipment online2  7#i7 strengthening   
the innovation pipeline from fundamental
 research to technology development to  
entrepreneurial training can lead to new
 products1 processes1 and business      
models for manufacturers2 and  7#aj7    
expanding the creation and utilization  
of manufacturing clusters for           
technology1 economic1 and workforce     
development is critical for the future  
of ,american competitiveness4  #b4      
,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,the   
term covered agency means each of the   
following ,federal agencies3 7,a7 ,the  
,national ,institute of ,standards and  
,technology4  7,b7 ,the ,department of  
,energy4  7,c7 ,the ,department of      
,defense4  7#b7 ,the term ,director     
means the ,director of the ,office of   
,science and ,technology ,policy4  7#c7 
,the term eligible manufacturing cluster
 means a manufacturing cluster that     

consists of-- 7,a7 entities with        
physical presence in the ,united ,states
 and with majority ,united ,states      
ownership2 and  7,b7 at least two of the
 following3 7i7 ,institutions of higher 
education4  7ii7 ,high schools4  7iii7  
,service member and veteran education   
programs carried out by the ,secretary  
of ,defense4  7iv7 ,private sector      
companies1 including small- and         
medium-sized manufacturers4  7v7        
,nonprofit organizations1 including     
,labor organizations4  7vi7 ,state and  
local government agencies4  7vii7       
,federally funded entities including the
 ,manufacturing ,,usa ,institutes and   
,manufacturing ,extension ,partnership1 
national laboratories1 and ,,ffrdc's4   
7viii7 ,other entities at the discretion
 of the ,director4  7#d7 ,the term      
manufacturing cluster means a geographic
 concentration of companies and         
institutions within a particular field  
of manufacturing that engage or propose 
to engage collaboratively in workforce  

development1 technology development1    
supply chain sourcing1 and other        
activities4  #c4 ,interagency entity    
7a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall    
establish or designate an interagency   
entity 7hereinafter referred to as the  
entity7 to oversee and coordinate the   
activities of manufacturing cluster     
programs at ,federal agencies4 ,the     
entity shall be chaired by the ,director
 of the ,office of ,science and         
,technology ,policy1 the ,director of   
the ,national ,institute of ,standards  
and ,technology1 the ,secretary of      
,energy1 and the ,secretary of ,defense4
  7b7 ,members ,the entity established  
under subsection 7a7 shall be appointed 
by representatives of ,federal entities 
and may include representatives of the  
following 7or successor entities73 7#a7 
,the ,office of ,advanced ,manufacturing
 of the ,national ,institute of         
,standards and ,technology4  7#b7 ,the  
,office of the ,undersecretary of       
,defense for ,acquisition and           

,sustainment of the ,department of      
,defense4  7#c7 ,the ,office of the     
,under ,secretary of ,defense for       
,research and ,engineering of the       
,department of ,defense4  7#d7 ,the     
,advanced ,manufacturing ,office of the 
,office of ,energy ,efficiency and      
,renewable ,energy of the ,department of
 ,energy4  7#e7 ,the ,center for        
,devices and ,radiological ,health of   
the ,food and ,drug ,administration4    
7#f7 ,the ,office of ,innovation and    
,entrepreneurship of the ,economic      
,development ,administration of the     
,department of ,commerce4  7#g7 ,the    
,national ,science ,foundation4  7#h7   
,the ,workforce ,investment ,boards of  
the ,department of ,labor4  7#i7 ,not   
fewer than five ,state ,workforce       
,investment ,boards from geographically 
diverse regions of the ,united ,states4 
7#aj7 ,the ,office of ,career1          
,technical1 and ,adult ,education of the
 ,department of ,education4  7#aa7 ,the 
,transition ,assistance ,program of the 

,department of ,veterans ,affairs4      
7#ab7 ,representatives of additional    
entities1 as the ,director may specify4 
7c7 ,coordination ,in convening the     
entity1 the ,director of ,,ostp is      
encouraged to consider overlap and      
coordination with existing committees1  
subcommittees1 or other groups under the
 ,national ,science and ,technology     
,council such as the ,committee on      
,technology ,advanced ,manufacturing    
,subcommittee4  7d7 ,duties ,the duties 
of the entity are the following3 7#a7   
,developing specific goals and          
priorities for manufacturing cluster    
programs based on the ,national         
,strategic ,plan for ,advanced          
,manufacturing4  7#b7 ,providing        
guidance to agencies relating to the    
competitive selection process and       
selection criteria for manufacturing    
clusters4  7#c7 ,facilitating           
coordination among manufacturing cluster
 programs throughout the ,federal       
,government4  7#d7 ,providing guidance  

to1 and facilitating best practices     
sharing among1 ,federal agencies hosting
 manufacturing cluster programs on      
mentoring1 training1 courses1 and other 
resources provided to clusters4  7e7    
,reports ,beginning one year after the  
date of the enactment of this ,act and  
triennially thereafter1 the entity shall
 submit to the appropriate committees of
 ,congress a report on all manufacturing
 cluster programs carried out pursuant  
to this ,act4 ,such report shall        
include-- 7#a7 an overview of the       
activities of the manufacturing         
clusters2 and  7#b7 an assessment of the
 progress of such clusters in advancing 
the goals and priorities developed by   
the entity4  7f7 ,application of the    
,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act ,the 
,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e  
,u4,s4,c4 ,app47 shall not apply with   
respect to the entity4  7g7 ,sunset ,the
 entity shall terminate on ,december    
#ca1 #bjbi4  #d4 ,manufacturing cluster 
programs  7a7 ,in general ,the head of  

each covered agency shall establish a   
manufacturing cluster program under     
which the head of such covered agency1  
over three distinct phases described in 
subsection 7d71 awards resources and    
grants to1 or enter cooperative         
agreements with eligible manufacturing  
clusters4  7b7 ,selection  7#a7         
,selection criteria  7,a7 ,in general   
,the head of each covered agency shall1 
taking into account guidance issued by  
the entity established under section #c1
 establish selection criteria for the   
selection of resource and grant         
recipients under the manufacturing      
cluster program established by such     
agency4 ,such criteria shall include--  
7i7 the collaborativeness of the        
proposal1 as evidenced by whether the   
proposed activities inherently benefit  
from collaboration between two or more  
member entities in a cluster1 such as   
shared training programs or facilities1 
collaborative research1 development1 and
 demonstration1 or shared supply chain  

development2  7ii7 the innovativeness of
 the idea1 as determined by the review  
panel under paragraph 7#b72  7iii7 the  
ability of the cluster to carry out the 
proposal2  7iv7 the impact of the       
proposed activity on the local1         
regional1 and national manufacturing    
economy and workforce2  7v7 the         
sustainability and long-term impact of  
the proposed cluster2 and  7vi7 the     
degree to which the proposal aims to    
leverage1 coordinate with1 and is       
strategically aligned with ongoing      
efforts1 such as-- 7,i7 voluntary       
education programs of the ,department of
 ,defense under part #fh of title #cb1  
,code of ,federal ,regulations2  7,,ii7 
,manufacturing ,,usa ,institutes2       
7,,iii7 ,manufacturing ,extension       
,partnerships initiatives1 including the
 ,state ,policy ,academy2  7,,iv7 the   
,investing in ,manufacturing            
,communities ,partnership sites2  7,v7  
the ,manufacturing ,technology ,program 
of the ,department of ,defense          

established under section #beba of title
 #aj1 ,united ,states ,code2  7,,vi7    
,state workforce investment programs2   
and  7,,vii7 additional criteria as     
specified by the ,director4  7,b7       
,matching funds ,the selection criteria 
established under subparagraph 7,a7 may 
include the amount of matching funds    
available4 ,proposals shall not be      
required to include the provision of    
matching funds by the cluster receiving 
the grant involved4  7#b7 ,review panel 
7,a7 ,in general ,the head of each      
covered agency shall each appoint a     
review panel1 to be comprised of not    
fewer than #i individuals that are      
experts in advanced manufacturing1 to   
evaluate manufacturing cluster proposals
 based on the criteria set by such head 
of a covered agency under paragraph     
7#a77;,a7 and to recommend eligible     
manufacturing clusters to such head of  
each covered agency for selection for   
each phase of the program4  7,b7        
,outside entity ,the head of each       

covered agency may contract with an     
outside entity to administer a          
competitive selection process based on  
the criteria established by the head of 
each covered agency under paragraph     
7#a77;,a74  7c7 ,use of funds ,an       
eligible manufacturing cluster may use  
grant funds under paragraphs 7#b7 and   
7#c7 of subsection 7d7 to-- 7#a7 develop
 and deploy training and educational    
programs and facilities to benefit      
multiple cluster members2  7#b7 fund    
efforts with respect to supply chain    
sourcing and innovation2  7#c7 fund     
collaborative research1 development1 and
 demonstration2  7#d7 develop shared    
infrastructure or resources for         
production1 transportation1             
cybersecurity1 and workforce development
 among members of the cluster2  7#e7    
convene workshops and other forums to   
improve alignment among participants in 
the regional manufacturing economy2 and 
7#f7 strengthen ties and relationships  
within the cluster and assess the impact

 of the cluster on the region4  7d7     
,program phases  7#a7 ,phase #a  7,a7   
,in general ,for the first phase of the 
program 7referred to in this section as 
,phase #a71 the head of each covered    
agency shall select eligible            
manufacturing clusters for an award     
described in subparagraph 7,c7 for the  
purpose of assisting such eligible      
manufacturing clusters in the           
development of a detailed implementation
 plan for each proposal submitted under 
subparagraph 7,b74  7,b7 ,application   
,an eligible manufacturing cluster      
applying for ,phase #a shall submit an  
application containing a description    
of-- 7i7 the members of the cluster2    
7ii7 the needs of the local1 regional1  
and national manufacturing economy and  
workforce that the cluster intends to   
address2  7iii7 a proposal for          
activities described in subsection 7c7  
to address such needs2 and  7iv7 a plan 
for transition of manufacturing cluster 
activities to the private sector4  7,c7 

,award ,the head of each covered agency 
may provide an eligible manufacturing   
cluster selected for an award under     
,phase #a mentoring1 training1 and      
courses to cover topics including-- 7i7 
problem selection and curation2  7ii7   
iterative refinement based on feedback  
from potential beneficiaries to ensure  
plans are tailored to regional needs or 
problem2  7iii7 development of effective
 teams2  7iv7 validation of the         
repeatability and scalability of the    
plan2 and  7v7 other entrepreneurial    
best practices4  7#b7 ,phase #b  7,a7   
,in general ,for the second phase of the
 program 7referred to in this section as
 ,phase #b71 the head of each covered   
agency shall select eligible            
manufacturing clusters for an award     
described in subparagraph 7,c7 for the  
purpose of implementing the plan        
submitted under subparagraph 7,b74  7,b7
 ,application ,an eligible manufacturing
 cluster applying for ,phase #b shall   
submit an application containing-- 7i7 a

 description of-- 7,i7 the members of   
the cluster2  7,,ii7 the needs of the   
local1 regional1 and national           
manufacturing economy and workforce that
 the cluster intends to address2 and    
7,,iii7 a proposal for activities       
described in subsection 7c7 to address  
such needs2  7ii7 with respect to ,phase
 #a1 a description of mentoring and     
training activities and an analysis of  
whether such use was successful2 and    
7iii7 a detailed implementation plan for
 such proposal4  7,c7 ,award  7i7 ,in   
general ,the head of each covered agency
 may award an eligible manufacturing    
cluster selected for an award under     
phase #b-- 7,i7 a grant of not more than
 #c1jjj1jjj over a #c-year period to    
execute the plan described in           
subparagraph 7,b77ii72 and  7,,ii7      
mentoring1 training1 and courses        
described in paragraph 7#a77;,c7 that   
the head of such agency determines      
appropriate to assist in the execution  
of such plan4  7#c7 ,phase #c  7,a7 ,in 

general ,for the third phase of the     
program 7referred to in this section as 
,phase #c71 the head of each covered    
agency shall select eligible            
manufacturing clusters for an award     
described in subparagraph 7,c7 for the  
purpose of continuing the activities of 
the cluster under ,phase #b4  7,b7      
,application  7i7 ,timing ,not earlier  
than #b years after the date on which an
 eligible manufacturing cluster receives
 funds under ,phase #b1 such eligible   
manufacturing cluster may apply for     
,phase #c4  7ii7 ,content ,to apply for 
,phase #c1 an eligible manufacturing    
cluster shall submit a report containing
 a description of the activities of such
 cluster under ,phase #b and the impacts
 of such activities1 including-- 7,i7 a 
list of the organizations and           
individuals served by such activities2  
7,,ii7 facilities built or dedicated2   
7,,iii7 technologies1 curricula1 and    
educational programs developed2  7,,iv7 
extent of coordination with existing    

,federal1 ,state1 and local government  
resources2  7,v7 extent of coordination 
with private sector entities2 and       
7,,vi7 the success of ,phase #b and an  
assessment of whether the award would   
enable new development and success4     
7,c7 ,award ,the head of each covered   
agency may award an eligible            
manufacturing cluster selected for an   
award under ,phase #c-- 7i7 a grant of  
not more than #aj1jjj1jjj over a #e-year
 period to continue the activities of   
the eligible manufacturing cluster under
 ,phase #b2 and  7ii7 mentoring1        
training1 and courses described in      
paragraph 7#a77;,c7 that the head of    
such agency determines appropriate to   
assist in the execution of such         
activities4  7e7 ,report ,for each      
eligible manufacturing cluster selected 
for ,phase #a1 ,phase #b1 and ,phase #c1
 the relevant head of each covered      
agency shall make public a report       
describing-- 7#a7 the members of the    
eligible manufacturing cluster2  7#b7 a 

description of the proposed activities2 
7#c7 a description of how the proposed  
activities meet the country's strategic 
needs for advanced manufacturing2 and   
7#d7 if applicable1 a description of the
 activities of the cluster under the    
prior phase of the program4  7f7        
,mentor1 training1 and course resources 
7#a7 ,contract authority ,the head of   
each covered agency may enter into a    
memorandum of understanding with another
 ,federal agency or contract with an    
entity outside the ,federal ,government 
to carry out the mentoring1 training1   
and courses under each phase of the     
program4  7#b7 ,costs ,the head of each 
covered agency shall cover the cost of  
participation in mentoring1 training1   
and courses1 including necessary travel 
expenses1 for each applicant selected   
under each phase of the program4  7#c7  
,limitations ,the head of each covered  
agency may restrict the number of       
individuals from each cluster selected  
under this paragraph that are allowed to

 participate in mentoring1 training1 and
 courses under each phase of the program
 to not fewer than #c individuals4  7g7 
,funding  7#a7 ,nonfederal funds ,an    
eligible manufacturing cluster receiving
 a grant under a manufacturing cluster  
program established pursuant to this    
section may accept in-kind and financial
 contributions from private sector      
entities1 nonprofit organizations1 and  
,state and local governments4  7#b7     
,assessment ,upon the completion of     
,phase #c by an eligible manufacturing  
cluster1 the relevant head of a covered 
agency shall conduct an assessment of   
the impact of the cluster's activities  
on the regional manufacturing economy   
and assess the degree to which the      
cluster advanced the country's strategic
 needs for advanced manufacturing4 ,the 
head of such covered agency may decide1 
based on such assessment1 to continue   
funding the cluster for an additional #e
 years or terminate funding4  7#c7      
,termination ,if the head of a covered  

agency decides to terminate funding for 
an eligible manufacturing cluster1 at   
any phase-- 7,a7 that cluster may       
continue to operate on other sources of 
,federal or non-,federal funding2 and   
7,b7 upon that the head of the covered  
agency involved shall initiate a new    
multi-phase selection process for an    
eligible manufacturing cluster to       
replace it1 focused on needs identified 
in the most recent ,national ,strategic 
,plan for ,advanced ,manufacturing4     
7#d7 ,authorization of appropriations   
7,a7 ,in general ,there are authorized  
to be appropriated to carry out this    
,act-- 7i7 to the ,director of the      
,national ,institute of ,standards and  
,technology1 #aj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year
 #bjbj1 #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal  
years #bjba through #bjbh1 #aj1jjj1jjj  
for fiscal year #bjbi2  7ii7 to the     
,secretary of ,energy1 #aj1jjj1jjj for  
fiscal year #bjbj1 #bj1jjj1jjj for each 
of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbh1    
#aj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbi2 and  

7iii7 to the ,secretary of ,defense1    
#aj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbj1      
#bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years    
#bjba through #bjbh1 #aj1jjj1jjj for    
fiscal year #bjbi4  7,b7 ,transfer of   
funds ,amounts available to the head of 
each covered agency for programs and    
activities consistent with the purposes 
of the manufacturing cluster programs   
established pursuant to this section may
 be transferred to carry out such       
manufacturing cluster programs4 ,the    
amount of funds authorized to be        
appropriated under subparagraph 7,a7 for
 a fiscal year shall be increased by any
 amounts so transferred4