I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1912 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Make It in America 

Block Grant Program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2011 

Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. 

CLARKE of Michigan, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CRITZ, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. 

GARAMENDI, Ms. HANABUSA, Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas, Mr. JACKSON

of Illinois, Mr. KEATING, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. LANGEVIN, 

Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 

PIERLUISI, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SIRES, Ms. WILSON of Florida, and 

Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Make 

It in America Block Grant Program, 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 ‘‘Make It in America 

5 Block Grant Program Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF MAKE IT IN AMERICA BLOCK 

2 GRANT PROGRAM. 

3 Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall establish a 

5 Make It in America Block Grant Program (in this Act 

6 referred to as the ‘‘program’’), under which the Secretary 

7 is authorized to make grants to support the manufac8 turing industry. 

9 SEC. 3. GRANTS. 

10 (a) GRANT USES.—A grant made by the Secretary 

11 of Commerce under the program shall be used by the re12 cipient of the grant to assist, through grants made to third 

13 parties, any of the following activities: 

14 (1) Retooling or retrofitting a small- or me15 dium-sized manufacturer, including with respect to 

16 equipment, facilities, infrastructure, or capital. 

17 (2) Diversifying the business plan of a small- or 

18 medium-sized manufacturer to advance the produc19 tion of clean energy technology products or compo20 nents, energy efficient products or components, high21 technology products or components, or other ad22 vanced products (as defined by the Secretary). 

23 (3) Improving the energy efficiency of a manu24 facturing facility of a small- or medium-sized manu25 facturer. 


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1 (4) Retraining the employees of a small- or me2 dium-sized manufacturer to— 

3 (A) provide skills necessary to operate new 

4 or advanced manufacturing equipment; or 

5 (B) sustain or improve the processes of 

6 that manufacturer. 

7 (5) Training new employees of a small- or me8 dium-sized manufacturer, including through on-the9 job training. 

10 (6) Providing capital and technical expertise to 

11 a small- or medium-sized manufacturer to expand 

12 the export opportunities of that manufacturer. 

13 (7) Any other project that the Secretary deter14 mines is appropriate to support the manufacturing 

15 industry, including the establishment of a revolving 

16 loan fund to provide loans to small- or medium-sized 

17 manufacturers to finance the costs of activities de18 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (6). 

19 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The following entities are el21 igible to receive a grant under the program: 

22 (A) A State meeting the requirements of 

23 paragraph (2). 

24 (B) A covered unit of local government 

25 meeting the requirements of paragraph (2). 


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1 (C) An Indian tribe meeting the require2 ments of paragraph (2). 

3 (D) A State, unit of local government, In4 dian tribe, or consortium of such entities with5 out regard to whether the requirements of para6 graph (2) are met. 

7 (2) UNEMPLOYMENT.—An entity meets the re8 quirements of this paragraph if— 

9 (A) the entity experienced a seasonally ad10 justed unemployment rate of at least 10 percent 

11 for any 6 consecutive months during the period 

12 beginning on January 1, 2007, and ending on 

13 December 31, 2010 (as determined by the Sec14 retary of Commerce in consultation with the 

15 Secretary of Labor); or 

16 (B) the entity experienced a cumulative de17 cline in employment in the manufacturing sec18 tor greater than or equal to 15 percent during 

19 the period beginning on January 1, 2007, and 

20 ending on December 31, 2010 (as determined 

21 by the Secretary of Commerce in consultation 

22 with the Secretary of Labor). 

23 (c) ALLOCATION OF GRANT FUNDS.—In making 

24 grants each fiscal year, the Secretary may— 


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1 (1) use not more than 48 percent of the 

2 amounts made available for grants under the pro3 gram that fiscal year to make grants to entities de4 scribed in subsection (b)(1)(A); 

5 (2) use not more than 48 percent of the 

6 amounts made available for grants under the pro7 gram that fiscal year to make grants to entities de8 scribed in subsection (b)(1)(B); 

9 (3) use not more than 2 percent of the amounts 

10 made available for grants under the program that 

11 fiscal year to make grants to entities described in 

12 subsection (b)(1)(C); and 

13 (4) use not more than 2 percent of the amounts 

14 made available for grants under the program that 

15 fiscal year to make grants to entities described in 

16 subsection (b)(1)(D). 

17 (d) PRIORITY FOR CERTAIN ENTITIES.—In providing 

18 grants to entities described in subsection (b)(1)(D), the 

19 Secretary shall give priority to an entity that experienced 

20 a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate that was at least 

21 97 percent of the national seasonally adjusted unemploy22 ment rate for any 3 consecutive months during the most 

23 recently completed fiscal year. 

24 (e) PROHIBITION ON GRANTS TO CERTAIN COVERED

25 UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—A covered unit of local 


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1 government may not receive a grant under the program 

2 if located within a State that has received a grant under 

3 the program. 

4 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT RECIPIENTS. 

5 (a) APPLICATION PROCESS.—To receive a grant 

6 under the program, an entity eligible for a grant under 

7 section 3(b) shall submit to the Secretary of Commerce 

8 an application at such time, in such manner, and con9 taining such information as the Secretary may require, 

10 but which shall include at least the plan of that entity 

11 to carry out, through grants made to third parties, an ac12 tivity described in section 3(a). 

13 (b) PROPOSED MANUFACTURING ENHANCEMENT

14 STRATEGY.—Not later than 6 months after the date on 

15 which an entity eligible for a grant under section 3(b) re16 ceives notice that it has been awarded a grant under the 

17 program, the entity shall submit to the Secretary a pro18 posed manufacturing enhancement strategy, which shall 

19 include— 

20 (1) a description of the plans of the entity to 

21 make grants to third parties with grant funds; 

22 (2) a description of the goals with respect to 

23 such grants, including— 

24 (A) the number of jobs to be created or re25 tained by third-party grant recipients; 


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1 (B) the sales to be increased or retained by 

2 third-party grant recipients; 

3 (C) the cost savings to be achieved by 

4 third-party grant recipients due to energy effi5 ciency savings; and 

6 (D) the workforce training investments to 

7 be made by third-party grant recipients, includ8 ing— 

9 (i) the number of training hours to be 

10 provided; 

11 (ii) the professional certifications to 

12 be obtained; and 

13 (iii) other industry standards to be 

14 met that demonstrate the attainment of 

15 proficiency with respect to a skill or proce16 dure; 

17 (3) a written assurance that the entity intends 

18 to establish a Make It in America Partnership 

19 Board— 

20 (A) to make grants to third parties; and 

21 (B) which shall be comprised of, to the ex22 tent practicable, representatives of— 

23 (i) economic development organiza24 tions and agencies; 

25 (ii) departments of labor; 


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1 (iii) workforce investment boards and 

2 agencies; 

3 (iv) institutions of higher education, 

4 including community colleges run by a 

5 State; and 

6 (v) the manufacturing extension part7 nership program of the National Institute 

8 of Standards and Technology; and 

9 (4) a description of the plans of the entity to 

10 foster, through the Make It in America Partnership 

11 Board, collaboration between State and local eco12 nomic development organizations and agencies, State 

13 and local workforce development organizations and 

14 agencies, small- or medium-sized manufacturers, and 

15 institutions of higher education (including commu16 nity colleges run by a State) to— 

17 (A) improve resource allocation, including 

18 through identification of— 

19 (i) opportunities to leverage public 

20 and private funding; and 

21 (ii) Federal funding and programs 

22 available to small- or medium-sized manu23 facturers; and 

24 (B) ensure comprehensive counseling, tech25 nical assistance, workforce development, and exVerDate Mar 15 2010 17:18 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1912.IH H1912

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1 port assistance are provided to small- or me2 dium-sized manufacturers. 

3 (c) APPROVAL OF PROPOSED MANUFACTURING EN4 HANCEMENT STRATEGIES.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall approve 

6 or disapprove a proposed manufacturing enhance7 ment strategy submitted under subsection (b) not 

8 later than 90 days after the date on which the Sec9 retary receives such strategy. 

10 (2) DISBURSEMENT OF GRANT FUNDS PROHIB11 ITED WITHOUT APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall not 

12 disburse to an entity awarded a grant under the pro13 gram the grant funds relating to that grant until the 

14 proposed manufacturing enhancement strategy of 

15 that entity has been approved by the Secretary. 

16 (3) OPPORTUNITY FOR RESUBMISSION.—If the 

17 Secretary does not approve a proposed manufac18 turing enhancement strategy submitted under sub19 section (b), the Secretary shall provide to the entity 

20 that submitted the strategy— 

21 (A) the reasons for disapproval; and 

22 (B) an opportunity to revise and resubmit 

23 the strategy until such strategy is approved. 

24 (d) LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.—In developing a pro25 posed manufacturing enhancement strategy under subVerDate Mar 15 2010 17:18 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1912.IH H1912

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1 section (b), a covered unit of local government shall share 

2 information relating to potential grant activities with the 

3 State that includes that government to ensure the maxi4 mization of resources made available to small- or medium5 sized manufacturers. 

6 (e) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—With respect to a 

7 grant, a grant recipient may use for the administrative 

8 expenses of the recipient an amount that is not more than 

9 the greater of— 

10 (1) 10 percent of the grant amount received; or 

11 (2) $75,000. 

12 (f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year after 

13 the date on which grant funds are received by a grant 

14 recipient under the program, and annually thereafter, the 

15 grant recipient shall submit to the Secretary a report de16 scribing— 

17 (1) grants made by the grant recipient to third 

18 parties with grant funds; and 

19 (2) achievements with respect to the goals iden20 tified in the proposed manufacturing enhancement 

21 strategy of the grant recipient. 

22 SEC. 5. STATE AND LOCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 

23 The Secretary of Commerce shall establish an advi24 sory committee to advise the Secretary with respect to imVerDate Mar 15 2010 17:18 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1912.IH H1912

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1 plementing and evaluating the program, which shall be 

2 comprised of— 

3 (1) individuals representing State and local en4 tities; 

5 (2) the Secretary of Labor; and 

6 (3) other individuals determined appropriate for 

7 inclusion by the Secretary. 

8 SEC. 6. REVIEW AND EVALUATION. 

9 (a) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—The Secretary of Com10 merce may review and evaluate the performance of a grant 

11 recipient under the program as the Secretary determines 

12 appropriate. 

13 (b) INELIGIBILITY FOR FUTURE GRANTS.—The Sec14 retary may determine a grant recipient to be ineligible to 

15 receive additional grants under the program if the Sec16 retary determines that the grant recipient has failed to 

17 achieve compliance with— 

18 (1) any applicable guideline or regulation of the 

19 Secretary relating to the program, including with re20 spect to the misuse or misappropriation of funds 

21 provided under the program; or 

22 (2) the proposed manufacturing enhancement 

23 strategy of the grant recipient. 


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1 SEC. 7. GAO STUDY AND REPORT. 

2 (a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General shall conduct 

3 a study on the program, which shall include an analysis 

4 of— 

5 (1) grants made by the Secretary of Commerce 

6 under the program; 

7 (2) grants made to third parties by the recipi8 ents of grants made by the Secretary under the pro9 gram; 

10 (3) outcomes relating to proposed manufac11 turing enhancement strategies submitted to the Sec12 retary; 

13 (4) administrative costs relating to the pro14 gram; 

15 (5) activities of the Secretary, the recipients of 

16 grants made by the Secretary, and third party grant 

17 recipients under the program, including whether the 

18 activities of those entities are accomplishing the pur19 poses of this Act; and 

20 (6) other information determined appropriate 

21 by the Comptroller General for assessing the per22 formance and financial accountability of the pro23 gram. 

24 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

25 on which the Secretary makes the first grant under the 

26 program, and every 2 years thereafter, the Comptroller 


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1 General shall submit to Congress a report describing the 

2 results of the study conducted under subsection (a), which 

3 shall include any recommendations the Comptroller Gen4 eral determines are appropriate for modifying the pro5 gram. 

6 (c) ACCESS TO RECORDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of conducting 

8 the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller Gen9 eral, and any duly authorized representative of the 

10 Comptroller General, shall be permitted to access, 

11 examine, and copy any documents, records, and 

12 other recorded information— 

13 (A) within the possession or control of— 

14 (i) the recipient of a grant made by 

15 the Secretary under the program; or 

16 (ii) the recipient of a grant made by 

17 an entity described in clause (i) with grant 

18 funds; and 

19 (B) determined by the Comptroller Gen20 eral, or the duly authorized representative of 

21 the Comptroller General, to be relevant to the 

22 study. 

23 (2) PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.—The Comp24 troller General may not make proprietary informa25 tion obtained under this section available to the pubVerDate Mar 15 2010 17:18 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1912.IH H1912

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1 lic without the consent of the party to whom the in2 formation belongs. 

3 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

5 (1) COVERED UNIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.— 

6 The term ‘‘covered unit of local government’’ means 

7 a unit of a government of— 

8 (A) a municipality— 

9 (i) with a population of at least 

10 50,000 individuals; or 

11 (ii) with a population that is less than 

12 50,000 individuals, but that is one of the 

13 10 largest municipalities by population in 

14 the State including that municipality; or 

15 (B) a county— 

16 (i) with a population of at least 

17 200,000 individuals; or 

18 (ii) with a population that is less than 

19 200,000 individuals, but that is one of the 

20 10 largest counties by population in the 

21 State including that county. 

22 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

23 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

24 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

25 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 


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1 (3) MANUFACTURER.—The term ‘‘manufac2 turer’’ shall be defined by the Secretary of Com3 merce in accordance with the North American In4 dustry Classification System. 

5 (4) SMALL- OR MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFAC6 TURER.—The term ‘‘small- or medium-sized manu7 facturer’’ means a manufacturer that, as determined 

8 by the Secretary of Commerce— 

9 (A) employs not more than 500 full-time 

10 equivalent employees at a manufacturing facil11 ity; and 

12 (B) is not owned or controlled by an auto13 mobile manufacturer or other large manufac14 turer. 

15 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

16 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and any ter17 ritory or possession of the United States. 

18 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro20 priated to the Secretary of Commerce for making grants 

21 under the program such sums as may be necessary. 

22 (b) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—There are author23 ized to be appropriated to the Secretary for administrative 

24 expenses relating to the program such sums as may be 

25 necessary. 


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1 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that amounts made available to carry out the pro3 gram should supplement and not replace other funding 

4 provided by Federal departments and agencies to support 

5 the manufacturing industry. 

Æ 


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