,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cfhg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ag1 #bjbb,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 and ,mr4 ,kelly7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,commerce to establish the ,manufacturing ,communities ,support ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,made in ,america ,manufacturing ,communities ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,manufacturing communities 7a7 ,definitions 7#a7 ,eligible consortium ,the term eligible consortium means a consortium that meets the eligibility criteria established by the ,secretary under subsection 7c77#b77;,a74 7#b7 ,manufacturing community ,the term manufacturing community means an eligible consortium designated by the ,secretary under subsection 7c77#a74 7#c7 ,nonprofit organization ,the term nonprofit organization means an organization exempt from taxation and described in paragraph 7#c71 7#e71 or 7#f7 of section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7#d7 ,program ,the term ,program means the ,manufacturing ,communities ,support ,program established under subsection 7b77#a74 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,commerce4 7#f7 ,small business concern ,the term small business concern means the term as defined under section #c of the ,small ,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fcb74 7b7 ,program authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish a program to be known as the ,manufacturing ,communities ,support ,program1 under which the ,secretary shall designate and support eligible consortiums as manufacturing communities4 7#b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,program shall be to strengthen the manufacturing base of the ,united ,states by making long-term investments in manufacturing communities by supporting-- 7,a7 critical skills2 7,b7 facilities2 7,c7 research and development2 and 7,d7 small business concerns4 7c7 ,designation of manufacturing communities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall designate an eligible consortium as a manufacturing community through a competitive process4 7#b7 ,eligible consortiums 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish criteria for a consortium to be eligible for a designation as a manufacturing community under paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,considerations ,in developing eligibility criteria under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall consider the merits of-- 7i7 including members from academia1 commercial industry1 nonprofit organizations1 and ,state and local governmental organizations2 7ii7 supporting efforts in geographical regions that have capabilities in key technologies or manufacturing base supply chains that the ,secretary determines to be critical to codifying the supply chains of the ,united ,states2 and 7iii7 the optimal composition and size of a consortium to promote effectiveness1 collaboration1 and efficiency4 7#c7 ,duration ,each designation under paragraph 7#a7 shall be for a #e-year period4 7#d7 ,renewal 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may renew a designation made under paragraph 7#a7 for not more than #b additional #b-year periods4 7,b7 ,criteria for renewal 7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish criteria for the renewal of a designation under subparagraph 7,a74 7ii7 ,considerations ,in establishing criteria for a renewal under clause 7i7 the ,secretary shall consider1 with respect to the manufacturing community seeking a renewal-- 7,i7 the performance of the manufacturing community in meeting the established goals of the ,program2 7,,ii7 the progress the manufacturing community has made with respect to project-specific metrics1 particularly with respect to metrics designed to help manufacturing communities track their own progress2 7,,iii7 whether any changes to the composition of the manufacturing community or revisions of the plan of the manufacturing community would improve the capabilities of the manufacturing base of the ,united ,states2 and 7,,iv7 any other criteria the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7#e7 ,application for designation 7,a7 ,in general ,an eligible consortium seeking a designation under paragraph 7#a7 shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time and in such manner as the ,secretary may require4 7,b7 ,considerations ,in developing application procedures under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall consider the inclusion of1 with respect to an eligible consortium-- 7i7 a description of the regional boundaries of the eligible consortium and the manufacturing capacity of the region2 7ii7 an evidence-based plan for enhancing the manufacturing base in the ,united ,states through the efforts of the eligible consortium2 7iii7 the investments the eligible consortium proposes and the strategy of the eligible consortium to address gaps in the manufacturing base of the ,united ,states2 7iv7 a description of the outcome-based metrics1 benchmarks1 and milestones that will track and the evaluation methods that will be used to gauge performance of the eligible consortium2 7v7 a plan to ensure that members of the eligible consortium are representative of the proposed location of the manufacturing community2 7vi7 a community that had previously received a designation by the ,investing in ,manufacturing ,communities ,partnership of the ,economic ,development ,administration2 and 7vii7 any other matters the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7,c7 ,strategic planning assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide strategic planning assistance for eligible consortiums that lack experience applying for ,federal assistance to ensure such eligible consortiums may submit an application that meets the procedures established by the ,secretary under this paragraph4 7d7 ,financial and technical assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,as appropriate and for purposes of the ,program1 the ,secretary may award financial or technical assistance to a member of an eligible consortium that has been designated as a manufacturing community4 7#b7 ,use of funds ,a recipient of financial or technical assistance under paragraph 7#a7 shall use the financial or technical assistance to support an investment that will improve the manufacturing base of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,investments supported ,investments supported under this subsection may include activities relating to-- 7,a7 equipment or facility upgrades2 7,b7 workforce training1 retraining1 or recruitment and retention1 including for women1 underrepresented minorities1 and veterans2 7,c7 business incubators2 7,d7 advanced research and commercialization1 including with ,federal laboratories and depots2 7,e7 supply chain development2 and 7,f7 assistance for small business concerns4 7e7 ,other ,federal assistance ,the ,secretary may make a ,federal point of contact available to each eligible consortium designated as a manufacturing community to help such consortium and the members of such consortium access ,federal financial and technical assistance4 7f7 ,receipt of transferred funds ,the ,secretary may accept amounts transferred to the ,secretary from the head of an agency or a ,state or local governmental organization to carry out this section4 7g7 ,report ,not later than #f years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,congress1 and make publicly available1 a report that identifies the best practices for an eligible consortium-- 7#a7 to be designated as a manufacturing community2 and 7#b7 to renew the manufacturing community designation4