I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2900 

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 

MAY 22, 2019 

Mr. RYAN (for himself, Mr. REED, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. 

SWALWELL of California, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. LIPINSKI, 

Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. STEVENS, Mr. KHANNA, and Mr. 

BALDERSON) 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Officer Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

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

6 (1) The manufacturing sector consists of estab7 lishments that are primarily engaged in the trans8 formation of materials, substances, or components 

9 into products. 

10 (2) A healthy, innovative manufacturing base 

11 plays a central role in the United States economy 

12 and national defense. 

13 (3) The Federal Government supports manufac14 turing in a variety of ways; support for manufac15 turing-related activities are dispersed across several 

16 agencies in the executive branch. 

17 (4) Manufacturing employment, output, and ex18 ports are impacted by a myriad of factors including 

19 the state of infrastructure and transportation, tax 

20 policies, environmental and other business regula21 tions, trade policies, innovation ecosystems, work22 force development, and education initiatives. Legisla23 tion and executive actions can have unintended im24 pact on the growth of manufacturing in the United 

25 States. 


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1 (5) Manufacturers account for 11 percent of 

2 the total gross domestic product output in the 

3 United States, employing 8 percent of the workforce. 

4 Total output from manufacturing is more than 2 

5 trillion dollars. There are nearly 13 million manufac6 turing employees in the United States, with an aver7 age annual compensation of about $80,000. 

8 (6) Given that 99 percent of manufacturing 

9 firms are small and medium size enterprises with a 

10 predominantly local employment footprint, workforce 

11 development programs must be rooted in local cir12 cumstance and requirements. 

13 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that a well-designed National Manufacturing Strat15 egy would benefit the United States economy in several 

16 important ways, including the following: 

17 (1) A revitalized manufacturing sector would 

18 enable the United States to increase its economic 

19 growth from domestic and export production. 

20 (2) Manufacturing jobs continue to pay higher 

21 wages and benefits than non-manufacturing jobs. 

22 Average domestic wages would rise in response to 

23 growing manufacturing output. 

24 (3) Manufacturing industries undertake two25 thirds of private-sector research and development, 


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1 which fuels the innovation that serves as a primary 

2 engine of economic growth. A growing manufac3 turing sector would help lay the foundations for fu4 ture economic expansion. 

5 (4) The United States would expand its long6 standing leadership in advanced manufacturing tech7 nologies with Federal investments in manufacturing 

8 research and development, education, and workforce 

9 training. 

10 (5) There exists a longstanding connection be11 tween domestic manufacturing, national defense, and 

12 homeland security. A strong and innovative manu13 facturing industry will maintain the technical superi14 ority of the United States military and secure supply 

15 chain integrity. 

16 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act: 

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

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

20 United States Code. 

21 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

23 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High24 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 


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1 (3) NATIONAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGY; 

2 STRATEGY.—The terms ‘‘National Manufacturing 

3 Strategy’’ and ‘‘Strategy’’ mean the National Manu4 facturing Strategy described in subsection (d). 

5 (4) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘‘small busi6 ness’’ means a company that has fewer than 500 

7 employees. 

8 (5) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

9 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

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

11 Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under 

12 section 501(a) of such Code. 

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

14 the several States, the District of Columbia, each 

15 commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 

16 States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe. 

17 (7) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

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

19 that term in section 8101 of the Elementary and 

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

21 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES CHIEF MANUFACTURING OFFICER. 

22 (a) APPOINTMENT.— 

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

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

25 President shall appoint a United States Chief ManuVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:03 Jun 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2900.IH H2900

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1 facturing Officer (referred to in this section as the 

2 ‘‘Chief Manufacturing Officer’’). 

3 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The President shall se4 lect the Chief Manufacturing Officer from among in5 dividuals who have basic qualifications and expertise 

6 in manufacturing technology and policy. 

7 (3) REPORTING.—The position of Chief Manu8 facturing Officer shall be in the Executive Office of 

9 the President and shall report to the President 

10 through the Chief of Staff. 

11 (4) NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL.—The Chief 

12 Manufacturing Officer shall be a member of the Na13 tional Economic Council. 

14 (b) PAY.—The annual rate of pay for the Chief Man15 ufacturing Officer shall be level II of the Executive Sched16 ule rate of pay (subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5, 

17 United States Code) commensurate with the qualifications 

18 and expertise of the individual appointed to be such Offi19 cer. 

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

21 Officer are as follows: 

22 (1) To advise the President on policy issues 

23 that affect the workforce and economic activity of 

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1 nology, trade, tariffs, currency, and procurement 

2 policies. 

3 (2) To deliver the National Manufacturing 

4 Strategy. 

5 (3) To convene interagency working groups to 

6 align Federal policies to drive implementation of the 

7 National Manufacturing Strategy, including collabo8 ration among the Departments of Education, Labor, 

9 Energy, Commerce, and Defense, the Environmental 

10 Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, 

11 Small Business Administration, and other agencies. 

12 (4) To evaluate the effectiveness of existing 

13 measures designed to improve innovation, produc14 tivity, energy efficiency, economic growth, cybersecu15 rity, and manufacturing industries’ contribution to 

16 national security. 

17 (5) To propose studies and policy experiments, 

18 in cooperation with agencies and the manufacturing 

19 industry, to determine effective measures to advance 

20 technological innovation and productivity in manu21 facturing in the United States. 

22 (6) To propose studies and policy experiments, 

23 in cooperation with agencies and the manufacturing 

24 industry, to determine effective measures to improve 


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1 environmental sustainability within the manufac2 turing industry. 

3 (7) To connect manufacturing support pro4 grams across the United States to make them more 

5 efficient, focused, and easier to use. 

6 (8) To identify opportunities to improve the ef7 ficiency of grant opportunities that affect the manu8 facturing workforce. 

9 (9) To assess Federal loan programs to ensure 

10 greater access to capital for small businesses that 

11 are manufacturers. 

12 (10) To examine and improve tax incentives for 

13 manufacturing companies in relation to increasing 

14 support for investment in— 

15 (A) workforce training; and 

16 (B) productivity and systems improve17 ments, including smart supply chain manage18 ment technology and cybersecurity measures. 

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

20 manufacturing, information technology, and cyberse21 curity by identifying and encouraging their use 

22 across all Federal Government programs and 

23 throughout the procurement process. 

24 (12) To encourage the creation of joint initia25 tives by State and local governments, regional orgaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:03 Jun 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2900.IH H2900

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1 nizations, private companies, institutions of higher 

2 education, nonprofit organizations, and Federal lab3 oratories to encourage technology transfer, to stimu4 late innovation, and pursue targeted workforce de5 velopment to promote an environment ready for in6 vestments in manufacturing-related industries. 

7 (13) To participate in discussions among com8 panies that manufacture in the United States on 

9 topics of interest to the manufacturing industry and 

10 workforce, including discussions regarding emerging 

11 and advanced technologies. 

12 (14) To work with the manufacturing industry 

13 to identify needs, challenges, and opportunities 

14 across the manufacturing sector which, if addressed, 

15 could make a significant contribution to improving 

16 the ability of manufacturers in the United States to 

17 compete successfully in international markets. 

18 (15) To carry out ongoing competitive analysis 

19 of the manufacturing policies of the governments of 

20 other countries, alongside their industrial structures 

21 and labor conditions, to help identify factors that 

22 successfully support the development of strong man23 ufacturing industries. 


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1 (16) To analyze legislative and agency pro2 posals to assess and advise on their potential direct 

3 and indirect impact on the manufacturing industry. 

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

5 the Office of Management and Budget in the devel6 opment of manufacturing-related elements of the 

7 President’s annual budget request to Congress. 

8 (18) To identify and share best practice activi9 ties designed to help support struggling manufac10 turing enterprises to review business plans, improve 

11 competitiveness, and manage issues like succession 

12 planning to avoid closures and retain jobs. 

13 (19) To assist States in their economic develop14 ment plans for manufacturing, in their efforts to en15 courage manufacturing enterprises to retain manu16 facturing facilities within the United States, and to 

17 foster the domestic retention of facilities and jobs. 

18 (20) To support communities negatively im19 pacted by the closure or relocation of manufacturing 

20 facilities by promoting efforts to create an environ21 ment and workforce equipped to attract advanced 

22 manufacturing enterprises. 

23 (21) To promote and grow the Network for 

24 Manufacturing Innovation Program established 


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1 under section 34 of the National Institute of Stand2 ards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 

3 (22) To review the effectiveness of and identify 

4 shortcomings in existing statutes and policies fo5 cused on promoting the domestic use of federally 

6 funded research and development in manufacturing 

7 technology. 

8 (23) To identify and evaluate changes to exist9 ing statutes and policies and to recommend legisla10 tion and policies to more effectively ensure the do11 mestic use of federally funded research and develop12 ment in manufacturing technology and to recover 

13 such investments from profits realized as a result of 

14 offshore manufacturing of systems or components 

15 utilizing federally funded technologies or their de16 rivatives. 

17 (24) To work with appropriate agencies, State 

18 and local governments, regional organizations, insti19 tutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, 

20 and private companies to stimulate interest in manu21 facturing careers. 

22 (25) To enhance public perception of manufac23 turing careers, encouraging participation of public 

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1 nual celebration of manufacturing industries on na2 tional Manufacturing Day. 

3 (26) To coordinate with activities under the 

4 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act 

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

6 on Foreign Investment in the United States to en7 sure the protection of sensitive emerging United 

8 States manufacturing-related technologies. 

9 (27) To perform such other functions or activi10 ties as the President may assign. 

11 (d) NATIONAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGY.— 

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

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

14 years thereafter, the Chief Manufacturing Officer 

15 shall submit the National Manufacturing Strategy to 

16 the President and Congress. The Strategy shall con17 tain a summary of the current state of manufac18 turing in the United States and comprehensive strat19 egies to— 

20 (A) work across Federal and State govern21 ment agencies to produce a coherent integrated 

22 strategy and plans; 

23 (B) identify and address the anticipated 

24 workforce needs of the manufacturing sector, 

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1 dustries competing in different operating envi2 ronments; 

3 (C) work with industry experts to strength4 en education initiatives, and shape training and 

5 certificate programs that can be adapted to re6 flect local circumstances; 

7 (D) create or improve manufacturing 

8 training programs and appropriate career paths 

9 into manufacturing jobs, to expand opportuni10 ties for all, and, in particular, the participation 

11 of veterans, the unemployed, women, and other 

12 underrepresented groups; 

13 (E) promote the development of quality 

14 control and other technical standards; 

15 (F) maintain reliable physical and tele16 communication infrastructure and identify and 

17 advocate for future infrastructure requirements; 

18 (G) analyze manufacturing technology 

19 needs, monitor technology developments, and 

20 analyze threats to and opportunities for the 

21 manufacturing sector; 

22 (H) recommend appropriate tax incentives 

23 and financial tools to assist manufacturing en24 terprises to improve their competitiveness; 


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1 (I) review Federal and State regulations to 

2 focus on reducing the cost of manufacturing, 

3 while improving innovation, productivity, and 

4 environmental sustainability; 

5 (J) promote the export of United States 

6 manufactured goods and the enforcement of 

7 fair trade rules embedded in bilateral and inter8 national agreements, including rules related to 

9 intellectual property rights and labor protection; 

10 (K) identify other forms of assistance for 

11 companies that manufacture in the United 

12 States, enabling them to compete successfully in 

13 the international marketplace; and 

14 (L) address such other issues as the Presi15 dent determines necessary. 

16 (2) INCORPORATION OF OTHER STRATEGIC

17 PLANS.—The Chief Manufacturing Officer shall inte18 grate into the National Manufacturing Strategy de19 scribed in paragraph (1) the following: 

20 (A) The national strategic plan for ad21 vanced manufacturing developed under section 

22 102(c) of the America COMPETES Reauthor23 ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6622(c)). 

24 (B) The strategic plan developed for the 

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1 gram under section 34(f)(2)(C) of the National 

2 Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 

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

4 (C) The manufacturing elements of the 

5 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic 

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

7 Nanotechnology Research and Development Act 

8 (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)(4)). 

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

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

11 years thereafter, the Chief Manufacturing Officer, in con12 sultation with the Director of the Office of Management 

13 and Budget, shall submit to the President and Congress 

14 a report that describes progress made in the implementa15 tion of the National Manufacturing Strategy and in fulfil16 ment of its objectives. 

Æ 


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