I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1591 

To establish the United States Chief Manufacturing Officer in the Executive 

Office of the President with the responsibility of developing a National 

Manufacturing Strategy to revitalize the manufacturing sector, spur economic growth, and expand United States competitiveness, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 3, 2021 

Mr. RYAN (for himself and Mr. REED) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To establish the United States Chief Manufacturing Officer 

in the Executive Office of the President with the responsibility of developing a National Manufacturing Strategy 

to revitalize the manufacturing sector, spur economic 

growth, and expand United States competitiveness, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chief Manufacturing 

5 Officer Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The manufacturing sector consists of estab4 lishments that are primarily engaged in the trans5 formation of materials, substances, or components 

6 into products. 

7 (2) A healthy, innovative manufacturing base 

8 plays a central role in the United States economy 

9 and national defense. 

10 (3) The Federal Government supports manufac11 turing in a variety of ways; support for manufac12 turing-related activities are dispersed across several 

13 agencies in the executive branch. 

14 (4) Manufacturing employment, output, and ex15 ports are impacted by a myriad of factors including 

16 the state of infrastructure and transportation, tax 

17 policies, environmental and other business regula18 tions, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, work19 force development, and education initiatives. Legisla20 tion and executive actions can have unintended im21 pact on the growth of manufacturing in the United 

22 States. 

23 (5) Manufacturers account for 11 percent of 

24 the total gross domestic product output in the 

25 United States, employing 8 percent of the workforce. 

26 Total output from manufacturing is more than 2 


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1 trillion dollars. There are nearly 13 million manufac2 turing employees in the United States, with an aver3 age annual compensation of about $85,000. 

4 (6) Given that 99 percent of manufacturing 

5 firms are small and medium size enterprises with a 

6 predominantly local employment footprint, workforce 

7 development programs must be rooted in local cir8 cumstance and requirements. 

9 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that a well-designed National Manufacturing Strat11 egy would benefit the United States economy in several 

12 important ways, including the following: 

13 (1) A revitalized manufacturing sector would 

14 enable the United States to increase its economic 

15 growth from domestic and export production. 

16 (2) Manufacturing jobs continue to pay higher 

17 wages and benefits than non-manufacturing jobs. 

18 Average domestic wages would rise in response to 

19 growing manufacturing output. 

20 (3) Manufacturing industries undertake two21 thirds of private-sector research and development, 

22 which fuels the innovation that serves as a primary 

23 engine of economic growth. A growing manufac24 turing sector would help lay the foundations for fu25 ture economic expansion. 


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1 (4) The United States would expand its long2 standing leadership in advanced manufacturing tech3 nologies with Federal investments in manufacturing 

4 research and development, education, and workforce 

5 training. 

6 (5) There exists a longstanding connection be7 tween domestic manufacturing, national defense, and 

8 homeland security. A strong and innovative manu9 facturing industry will maintain the technical superi10 ority of the United States military and secure supply 

11 chain integrity. 

12 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 

15 meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, 

16 United States Code. 

17 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

19 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High20 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

21 (3) NATIONAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGY; 

22 STRATEGY.—The terms ‘‘National Manufacturing 

23 Strategy’’ and ‘‘Strategy’’ mean the National Manu24 facturing Strategy described in subsection (d). 


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1 (4) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘‘small busi2 ness’’ means a company that has fewer than 500 

3 employees. 

4 (5) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

5 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

6 is described under section 501(c) of the Internal 

7 Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under 

8 section 501(a) of such Code. 

9 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

10 the several States, the District of Columbia, each 

11 commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 

12 States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe. 

13 (7) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

14 ‘‘State educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

15 that term in section 8101 of the Elementary and 

16 Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

17 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES CHIEF MANUFACTURING OFFICER. 

18 (a) APPOINTMENT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

21 President shall appoint a United States Chief Manu22 facturing Officer (referred to in this section as the 

23 ‘‘Chief Manufacturing Officer’’). 

24 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The President shall se25 lect the Chief Manufacturing Officer from among inVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Apr 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1591.IH H1591

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1 dividuals who have basic qualifications and expertise 

2 in manufacturing technology and policy. 

3 (3) REPORTING.—The position of Chief Manu4 facturing Officer shall be in the Executive Office of 

5 the President and shall report to the President 

6 through the Chief of Staff. 

7 (4) NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL.—The Chief 

8 Manufacturing Officer shall be a member of the Na9 tional Economic Council. 

10 (b) PAY.—The annual rate of pay for the Chief Man11 ufacturing Officer shall be level II of the Executive Sched12 ule rate of pay (subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5, 

13 United States Code) commensurate with the qualifications 

14 and expertise of the individual appointed to be such Offi15 cer. 

16 (c) DUTIES.—The duties of the Chief Manufacturing 

17 Officer are as follows: 

18 (1) To advise the President on policy issues 

19 that affect the workforce and economic activity of 

20 the manufacturing sector including science, tech21 nology, trade, tariffs, currency, and procurement 

22 policies. 

23 (2) To deliver the National Manufacturing 

24 Strategy. 


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1 (3) To convene interagency working groups to 

2 align Federal policies to drive implementation of the 

3 National Manufacturing Strategy, including collabo4 ration among the Departments of Education, Labor, 

5 Energy, Commerce, and Defense, the Environmental 

6 Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, 

7 Small Business Administration, and other agencies. 

8 (4) To evaluate the effectiveness of existing 

9 measures designed to improve innovation, produc10 tivity, energy efficiency, economic growth, cybersecu11 rity, and manufacturing industries’ contribution to 

12 national security. 

13 (5) To propose studies and policy experiments, 

14 in cooperation with agencies and the manufacturing 

15 industry, to determine effective measures to advance 

16 technological innovation and productivity in manu17 facturing in the United States. 

18 (6) To propose studies and policy experiments, 

19 in cooperation with agencies and the manufacturing 

20 industry, to determine effective measures to improve 

21 environmental sustainability within the manufac22 turing industry. 

23 (7) To connect manufacturing support pro24 grams across the United States to make them more 

25 efficient, focused, and easier to use. 


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1 (8) To identify opportunities to improve the ef2 ficiency of grant opportunities that affect the manu3 facturing workforce. 

4 (9) To assess Federal loan programs to ensure 

5 greater access to capital for small businesses that 

6 are manufacturers. 

7 (10) To examine and improve tax incentives for 

8 manufacturing companies in relation to increasing 

9 support for investment in— 

10 (A) workforce training; and 

11 (B) productivity and systems improve12 ments, including smart supply chain manage13 ment technology and cybersecurity measures. 

14 (11) To foster the use of best practices for 

15 manufacturing, information technology, and cyberse16 curity by identifying and encouraging their use 

17 across all Federal Government programs and 

18 throughout the procurement process. 

19 (12) To encourage the creation of joint initia20 tives by State and local governments, regional orga21 nizations, private companies, institutions of higher 

22 education, nonprofit organizations, and Federal lab23 oratories to encourage technology transfer, to stimu24 late innovation, and pursue targeted workforce deVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Apr 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1591.IH H1591

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1 velopment to promote an environment ready for in2 vestments in manufacturing-related industries. 

3 (13) To participate in discussions among com4 panies that manufacture in the United States on 

5 topics of interest to the manufacturing industry and 

6 workforce, including discussions regarding emerging 

7 and advanced technologies. 

8 (14) To work with the manufacturing industry 

9 to identify needs, challenges, and opportunities 

10 across the manufacturing sector which, if addressed, 

11 could make a significant contribution to improving 

12 the ability of manufacturers in the United States to 

13 compete successfully in international markets. 

14 (15) To carry out ongoing competitive analysis 

15 of the manufacturing policies of the governments of 

16 other countries, alongside their industrial structures 

17 and labor conditions, to help identify factors that 

18 successfully support the development of strong man19 ufacturing industries. 

20 (16) To analyze legislative and agency pro21 posals to assess and advise on their potential direct 

22 and indirect impact on the manufacturing industry. 

23 (17) To work with agencies and the Director of 

24 the Office of Management and Budget in the develVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:21 Apr 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1591.IH H1591

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1 opment of manufacturing-related elements of the 

2 President’s annual budget request to Congress. 

3 (18) To identify and share best practice activi4 ties designed to help support struggling manufac5 turing enterprises to review business plans, improve 

6 competitiveness, and manage issues like succession 

7 planning to avoid closures and retain jobs. 

8 (19) To assist States in their economic develop9 ment plans for manufacturing, in their efforts to en10 courage manufacturing enterprises to retain manu11 facturing facilities within the United States, and to 

12 foster the domestic retention of facilities and jobs. 

13 (20) To support communities negatively im14 pacted by the closure or relocation of manufacturing 

15 facilities by promoting efforts to create an environ16 ment and workforce equipped to attract advanced 

17 manufacturing enterprises. 

18 (21) To promote and grow the Network for 

19 Manufacturing Innovation Program established 

20 under section 34 of the National Institute of Stand21 ards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 

22 (22) To review the effectiveness of and identify 

23 shortcomings in existing statutes and policies fo24 cused on promoting the domestic use of federally 


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1 funded research and development in manufacturing 

2 technology. 

3 (23) To identify and evaluate changes to exist4 ing statutes and policies and to recommend legisla5 tion and policies to more effectively ensure the do6 mestic use of federally funded research and develop7 ment in manufacturing technology and to recover 

8 such investments from profits realized as a result of 

9 offshore manufacturing of systems or components 

10 utilizing federally funded technologies or their de11 rivatives. 

12 (24) To work with appropriate agencies, State 

13 and local governments, regional organizations, insti14 tutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, 

15 and private companies to stimulate interest in manu16 facturing careers. 

17 (25) To enhance public perception of manufac18 turing careers, encouraging participation of public 

19 and private organizations, State educational agen20 cies, and institutions of higher education in the an21 nual celebration of manufacturing industries on na22 tional Manufacturing Day. 

23 (26) To coordinate with activities under the 

24 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act 

25 of 2018 (Public Law 115–232) and the Committee 


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1 on Foreign Investment in the United States to en2 sure the protection of sensitive emerging United 

3 States manufacturing-related technologies. 

4 (27) To perform such other functions or activi5 ties as the President may assign. 

6 (d) NATIONAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGY.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

8 the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 2 

9 years thereafter, the Chief Manufacturing Officer 

10 shall submit the National Manufacturing Strategy to 

11 the President and Congress. The Strategy shall con12 tain a summary of the current state of manufac13 turing in the United States and comprehensive strat14 egies to— 

15 (A) work across Federal and State govern16 ment agencies to produce a coherent integrated 

17 strategy and plans; 

18 (B) identify and address the anticipated 

19 workforce needs of the manufacturing sector, 

20 recognizing that this sector includes diverse in21 dustries competing in different operating envi22 ronments; 

23 (C) work with industry experts to strength24 en education initiatives, and shape training and 


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1 certificate programs that can be adapted to re2 flect local circumstances; 

3 (D) create or improve manufacturing 

4 training programs and appropriate career paths 

5 into manufacturing jobs, to expand opportuni6 ties for all, and, in particular, the participation 

7 of veterans, the unemployed, women, and other 

8 underrepresented groups; 

9 (E) promote the development of quality 

10 control and other technical standards; 

11 (F) maintain reliable physical and tele12 communication infrastructure and identify and 

13 advocate for future infrastructure requirements; 

14 (G) analyze manufacturing technology 

15 needs, monitor technology developments, and 

16 analyze threats to and opportunities for the 

17 manufacturing sector; 

18 (H) recommend appropriate tax incentives 

19 and financial tools to assist manufacturing en20 terprises to improve their competitiveness; 

21 (I) review Federal and State regulations to 

22 focus on reducing the cost of manufacturing, 

23 while improving innovation, productivity, and 

24 environmental sustainability; 


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1 (J) promote the export of United States 

2 manufactured goods and the enforcement of 

3 fair trade rules embedded in bilateral and inter4 national agreements, including rules related to 

5 intellectual property rights and labor protection; 

6 (K) identify other forms of assistance for 

7 companies that manufacture in the United 

8 States, enabling them to compete successfully in 

9 the international marketplace; and 

10 (L) address such other issues as the Presi11 dent determines necessary. 

12 (2) INCORPORATION OF OTHER STRATEGIC

13 PLANS.—The Chief Manufacturing Officer shall inte14 grate into the National Manufacturing Strategy de15 scribed in paragraph (1) the following: 

16 (A) The national strategic plan for ad17 vanced manufacturing developed under section 

18 102(c) of the America COMPETES Reauthor19 ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6622(c)). 

20 (B) The strategic plan developed for the 

21 Network for Manufacturing Innovation Pro22 gram under section 34(f)(2)(C) of the National 

23 Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 

24 U.S.C. 278s(f)(2)(C)). 


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1 (C) The manufacturing elements of the 

2 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic 

3 Plan under section 2(c)(4) of the 21st Century 

4 Nanotechnology Research and Development Act 

5 (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)(4)). 

6 (e) BI-ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 2 

8 years thereafter, the Chief Manufacturing Officer, in con9 sultation with the Director of the Office of Management 

10 and Budget, shall submit to the President and Congress 

11 a report that describes progress made in the implementa12 tion of the National Manufacturing Strategy and in fulfil13 ment of its objectives. 

Æ 


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