I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4393 

To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to reduce the matching requirement 

for participants in the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 16, 2009 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. DINGELL, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. 

RYAN of Ohio, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. 

HOLDEN, Mr. COSTELLO, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. WILSON of Ohio, Mr. STUPAK, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. MARKEY of Colorado, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of 

Florida, Mr. HARE, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. SCHAUER, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. CAMP, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. DENT, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, 

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. 

LIPINSKI, Mr. REYES, Mr. WELCH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. TONKO, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. LATOURETTE, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, 

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. PLATTS, and Mr. MINNICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Science and Technology 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to reduce the 

matching requirement for participants in the Hollings 

Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Manufacturing Extension Partnership serv2 ices are available in all 50 States and at 392 loca3 tions. 

4 (2) The Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

5 delivers critical services to small and midsized manu6 facturers, providing access to public and private re7 sources that enhance growth, improve productivity, 

8 and expand capacity. 

9 (3) The Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

10 helps manufacturers position themselves as strong 

11 long-term competitors in domestic and international 

12 markets. 

13 (4) Of the 7 million jobs lost in the recession 

14 as of February 2009, over 2 million were from the 

15 manufacturing sector, and the Manufacturing Ex16 tension Partnership reported creating or retaining 

17 over 57,000 manufacturing jobs in the most recent 

18 surveyed year. 

19 (5) The Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

20 has delivered $1.44 billion in cost savings annually 

21 and $10.5 billion in increased or retained sales in a 

22 single year. 

23 (6) Every dollar contributed by the Federal 

24 Government to the Manufacturing Extension PartVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:41 Dec 18, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4393.IH H4393

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1 nership is matched 2-to-1 by State and local govern2 ments and participating manufacturers. 

3 (7) The recession has strained many State 

4 budgets, and 23 State Manufacturing Extension 

5 Partnership Centers reported a decrease or elimi6 nation of State funding in 2009. 

7 (8) When a State decreases or eliminates fund8 ing for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, 

9 the cost-share burden is shifted to small manufac10 turers who are unlikely to be able to afford increased 

11 contributions during an economic downturn, and the 

12 availability of Manufacturing Extension Partnership 

13 services is jeopardized. 

14 (9) A reduction in the matching requirement 

15 for participants in the Manufacturing Extension 

16 Partnership will greatly alleviate the burden on 

17 State budgets and small manufacturers and preserve 

18 the Manufacturing Extension Partnership’s ability 

19 to provide critical services to small manufacturers 

20 and create much-needed jobs in the manufacturing 

21 sector. 

22 SEC. 2. HOLLINGS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNER23 SHIP PROGRAM. 

24 Section 25(c) of the National Institute of Standards 

25 and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, unless oth2 erwise determined under paragraph (3)(C)’’ before 

3 the period at the end; 

4 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘not less than 50 per7 cent of the costs incurred for the first 3 

8 years and an increasing share for each of 

9 the last 3 years’’ and inserting ‘‘the appli10 cant’s share of the costs incurred (in this 

11 subsection referred to as ‘cost share’)’’; 

12 and 

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘For purposes of the 

14 preceding sentence, the’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘The’’; 

16 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) 

17 and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respec18 tively; 

19 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

20 the following new subparagraph: 

21 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall by rule establish 

22 appropriate criteria to be considered in deter23 mining a Center’s cost share. A Center’s cost 

24 share shall in no case exceed 50 percent of the 

25 costs incurred by such Center. The Secretary 


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1 shall review each Center’s cost share annually 

2 and at such other times as the Secretary con3 siders appropriate. An adjustment to a Center’s 

4 cost share in a year shall not affect the amount 

5 of Federal funds such Center receives in such 

6 year.’’; and 

7 (D) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated 

8 by subparagraph (B)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘50 percent’’ and in10 serting ‘‘cost share’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘Center’s contribu12 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Center’s cost share’’; 

13 and 

14 (3) in paragraph (5)— 

15 (A) in the 6th sentence, by striking ‘‘at de16 clining levels’’; and 

17 (B) in the last sentence— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘Funding’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘Unless otherwise determined under 

20 paragraph (3)(C), funding’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘one third’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘50 percent’’. 

Æ 


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