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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3244 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3244

  To amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to 
 provide support for organizations to promote the Manufacturing Skills 
                         Certification System.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2013

   Ms. Esty introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to 
 provide support for organizations to promote the Manufacturing Skills 
                         Certification System.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``First STEP Act'' 
or the ``Supporting Training for Employment Potential Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Manufacturing has been the backbone of the Nation's 
        economy for more than a century.
            (2) In 2012, manufacturers contributed $1.87 trillion to 
        the economy.
            (3) More than 12 million workers are employed in the 
        manufacturing sector.
            (4) In many sectors there is a pronounced shift to high-
        skilled manufacturing jobs, and potential employees must 
        possess high-level skills in order to compete in the job 
        market.
            (5) In 2011, President Obama announced an expansion of the 
        Manufacturing Skills Certification System as a part of the 
        Skills for America's Future Program. The Manufacturing Skills 
        Certification System is a collaborative effort between private 
        industry and the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
        to create manufacturing credentials that would be universally 
        recognizable. The credential program was designed by the 
        Manufacturing Institute, a non-profit arm of the National 
        Association of Manufacturers. Since its inception in 2011 more 
        than 173,000 certifications have been issued.
            (6) Centers across the country, such as the Connecticut 
        Center for Advanced Technology, have been working diligently to 
        educate employers about the value of credentials, as well as 
        working with local education centers to promote these 
        credentials. These centers bridge the gap between employers and 
        potential employees and assist in the creation and retention of 
        jobs, and highlight the importance of supporting and 
        patronizing local manufacturers and businesses.

SEC. 2. MANUFACTURING SKILLS CERTIFICATION SYSTEM.

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
271 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after section 25 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 25A. PROMOTION OF THE MANUFACTURING SKILLS CERTIFICATION SYSTEM.

    ``In addition to the Centers program created under section 25, the 
Secretary, through the Director, and if appropriate, through other 
officials, shall provide support and assistance to programs throughout 
the United States in order to help those programs promote the 
Manufacturing Skills Certification System, including by--
            ``(1) promoting collaboration between community colleges, 
        technical schools and local businesses to help such colleges 
        and schools to better understand the specific needs of 
        businesses, and businesses to better understand the skill sets 
        that students learn in the programs offered by such colleges 
        and schools;
            ``(2) educating businesses and students about the value of 
        universally recognized credential programs and ultimately lead 
        to apprenticeship opportunities;
            ``(3) providing support and assistance for programs within 
        states looking to implement the Manufacturing Skills 
        Certification System; and
            ``(4) providing support and assistance for programs to 
        collaborate with one another at a national level.''; and
            (2) in section 25(f)(10) (15 U.S.C. 278k(f)(10)), by 
        striking ``2011 through 2013'' and inserting ``2014 through 
        2016''.
                                 <all>
```