The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) has honored Senator Coons with this year’s Congressional Partnership Award for his support of community and economic development policies that create jobs and increase the long-term competitiveness of American workers.
The National Association of Development Organizations is an advocate for federal community and economic development programs, as well as policies that help communities improve their local economies and quality of life. NADO’s biennial Congressional Partnership Award recognizes members of Congress who have been committed to promoting economic development programs at the local and regional level. Read more about NADO here.
“I’m honored to receive this award from the National Association of Development Organizations,” Senator Coons said. “To keep America competitive, we have to invest in programs that develop and grow our economy, especially at the local and regional level. During my time as New Castle County Executive, I witnessed how critical local development programs are to American workers. While in the Senate, I have made job creation a top priority, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with NADO to advance our shared goals.”
“Senator Coons is a true leader who has displayed an unwavering commitment to providing new economic opportunities for our nation’s local communities,” said NADO President Peter Gregory.
As the leader of Manufacturing Jobs for America, a campaign in the Senate to promote legislation that helps manufacturers create jobs, Chris has been a champion for economic growth, both in Delaware and at the national level. The initiative includes more than 30 bills, roughly half of which are bi-partisan. The pillars of the initiative include training a 21st century skilled workforce, expanding access to capital, opening up markets abroad, and implementing a national manufacturing strategy. Already, seven provisions have been enacted into law, while five more have been passed out of committees. Click here to learn more about Manufacturing Jobs for America and stay up to date on progress.
Passed by the Senate -- Five Manufacturing Jobs for America bills in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
The Senate passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on June 25. The bill includes five innovative skills-training provisions from the Manufacturing Jobs for America campaign to help prepare America’s workforce for the manufacturing jobs of the 21st century. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for approval. The bills included were:
Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (S. 1400), sponsored by Sens. Reed (D-RI) and Brown (D-OH) WIOA includes key portions of S.1400, which seeks to increase investment in adult education, expand access to technology and digital literacy skills for adult learners, require better coordination and integration of adult education with state workforce development systems and postsecondary education, and strengthen English and civics education for new Americans. More:Reed press release
America Works Act (S. 453), sponsored by Sens. Hagan (D-NC), Donnelly (D-IN), Heller (R-NV), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Schumer (D-NY) WIOA includes provisions from S. 453, which seeks to prioritize federal funding for job training programs that offer portable, national, and industry-recognized credentials. This reform would promote job-training programs that match the skills of workers with the needs of local employers, thereby training individuals for the jobs that are available in their communities right now. More:Hagan press release | Donnelly press release
On-the-Job Training Act (S. 1227), sponsored by Sens. Shaheen (D-NH) and Cochran (R-MS) WIOA includes aspects of S. 1227 to significantly expand opportunities for on-the-job-training. WIOA requires state workforce investment boards to disseminate information identifying on-the-job-training opportunities and boosts incentives for employers to participate in on-the-job-training programs. More:Shaheen press release
SECTORS Act (S. 1226), sponsored by Sens. Brown (D-OH), Casey (D-PA), Collins (R-ME), and Durbin (D-IL) WIOA includes provisions from S.1226 to require state and local Workforce Investment Boards to establish sector-based partnerships between employers, educators, and local workforce administrators to train workers for the most in-demand 21st century jobs. More:Brown press release
Community College to Career Fund (S. 1269), sponsored by Sens. Franken (D-MN), Begich (D-AK), Durbin (D-IL), and Schatz (D-HI) WIOA includes aspects of S.1269 to create partnerships between businesses and schools that facilitate effective job training. More:Franken press release
Executive Action -- Presidential actions to revitalize manufacturing The administration announced new federal actions and new commitments from Mayors and other local leaders to invest in manufacturing. New actions announced include:
‘Mayors Maker Challenge’ More than 90 Mayors and local leaders committed to the ‘Mayors Maker Challenge’ to expand access to physical locations and new manufacturing and prototyping equipment in their communities, spur manufacturing entrepreneurship, and inspire young people to pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering.
Streamlining access to $5 billion of advanced equipment in over 700 R&D facilities The Administration will help manufacturing entrepreneurs access $5 billion worth of advanced equipment in federal R&D facilities that they may use to develop new technologies and launch new inventions. For example, entrepreneurs might access NASA’s National Center for Advanced Manufacturing to produce the high-strength, defect-free joints required for cutting-edge aeronautics.
Expanding investment in the Materials Genome Initiative Five federal agencies will invest more than $150 million in ground-breaking research to support the Materials Genome Initiative, upping the Administration’s investment in the manufacturing of advanced materials. The Materials Genome Initiative is a public-private endeavor that aims to cut in half the time it takes to develop novel materials that can fuel advanced manufacturing and bolster the 21st century American economy. More:White House press release
Passed by Committee -- Manufacturing priorities in CJS Appropriations The Senate Appropriations Committee included a number of manufacturing priorities in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which supports key programs for manufacturers and entrepreneurs. Included in the bill were:
Manufacturing Extension Partnerships Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs) are the only public-private partnership dedicated to providing technical support and services to small and medium-sized manufacturers. The Appropriations Committee recognized the importance of MEPs by raising funding to $141 million, a $13 million increase. According to data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, every dollar invested in MEP facilitates $19 in new sales growth and $21 in new client investment.
National Manufacturing Strategy The bill directs the Office of Science & Technology Policy to report to Congress with a comprehensive plan to develop a national manufacturing strategy. This language compliments the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, which is part of Manufacturing Jobs for America and was introduced by Sens. Coons (D-DE) and Kirk (R-IL).
Bio-Manufacturing The bill includes language recognizing the importance of U.S. bio-manufacturing and directing the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase support for it in its advanced manufacturing portfolio by dedicating at least $15 million to new bio-manufacturing initiatives.
Foreign Commercial Service The Department of Commerce announced the expansion of the Foreign Commercial Service, including four new offices in Angola, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Mozambique and four office expansions in Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, and Libya. The expansion will create nearly 70 new positions and post 17 additional officers globally to help U.S. manufacturers get started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets.
Finance Committee passes vital tax provisions The Senate Finance Committee cleared a “tax extenders” package out of Committee on a bipartisan voice vote, advancing it towards the Senate floor. The package includes many tax provisions important to manufacturers, including the R&D tax credit and bonus depreciation. More:Chairman’s Statement | Modified Chairman’s mark
Finance Committee adopts Coons/Enzi tax credit for startup manufacturers The Senate Finance Committee included the Startup Innovation Credit Act (S. 193) in tax extenders by a bipartisan voice vote. The bill allows startup manufacturers to claim the R&D tax. Startups businesses generally have the highest potential for growth and generate the most jobs. S. 193 was introduced by Sens. Coons (D-DE) and Enzi (R-WY), and co-sponsored by Sens. Schumer (D-NY), Rubio (R-FL), Blunt (R-MO), Moran (R-KS), Stabenow (D-MI), and Kaine (D-VA). The provision was introduced as an amendment to tax extenders by Sens. Roberts (R-KS) and Schumer (D-NY). More:Coons press release | Schumer press release | Schumer / Roberts modified amendment
Finance Committee passes Roberts/Coons tax credit to help small manufacturers The Senate Finance Committee passed key provisions of the Innovators Job Creation Act (S.192) by a bipartisan voice vote. The provision allows small business owners to claim the R&D tax credit against their Alternative Minimum Tax liability. The bill was introduced by Sens. Roberts (R-KS) and Coons (D-DE), and is cosponsored by Sens. Enzi (R-WY) and Schumer (D-NY). It was included in the amendment offered by Sens. Roberts and Schumer. More:Coons press release | Schumer / Roberts modified amendment
Commerce Committee advances vital manufacturing hubs bill to the floor The Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013, sponsored by Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Blunt (R-MO), was advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee. This bill will create a network of regional hubs bringing together businesses, universities, and government to promote manufacturing innovation and workforce development. More:Commerce press release | Blunt press release | Brown press release
Commerce Committee includes National Manufacturing Strategy in hubs bill Sens. Pryor (D-AR), Kirk (R-IL), and Coons (D-DE) applauded the Senate Commerce Committee's passage of their American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, which requires the President to submit a National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing to Congress every four years, and is part of the Manufacturing Jobs for America initiative. While there are numerous programs spread throughout several federal departments and agencies aimed at supporting manufacturing, there is no cohesive national strategy to ensure these programs are working together toward the unified goal of revitalizing American manufacturing.
This legislation was passed as an amendment, offered by Sen. Pryor, to the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013. The amendment was based off of S. 1709, The American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, introduced by Sens. Kirk and Coons, co-sponsored by Sens. Blunt (R-MO), Brown (D-OH), Stabenow (D-MI), Graham (R-SC) and Harkin (D-IA). More:Kirk press release | Coons press release
Klobuchar and Hoeven Innovate America Act passed by Commerce Committee Provisions of Sens. Klobuchar (D-MN) and Hoeven’s (R-ND) Innovate America Act (S.1777) were included in the hubs bill during the Senate Commerce Committee’s markup. The amendment:
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study on the top 20 exporting industries in the U.S., domestic regulatory and policy barriers to increasing exports, foreign barriers to doing business abroad, and recommendations on how to address these barriers;
Clarifies that manufacturing hubs should consider workforce recruitment as part of their functions; and
Encourages applications from new centers to emphasize how they will impact global and domestic competitiveness.
Defense Department announces plans to purchase U.S. made athletic footwear The Defense Department announced it will require that service members purchase American-made shoes when using Department funds. Previously, recruits had received a Department stipend with which to purchase shoes, but no Berry Amendment-compliant athletic footwear was available. Based on feedback from Members of Congress and shoe manufacturers, the Department determined American manufacturers could manufacture compliant footwear, and will begin requiring that recruits use their stipends to purchase American-made shoes. More:Brown press release | Levin press release
Senator Coons, along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), met with chief executive officers and senior executives from the nation’s leading technology, venture capital, and e-commerce, companies Tuesday to discuss key issues affecting American innovation. Executives from Bloom Energy, CISCO, Oracle, and other leading technology firms shared their perspectives on proposed trade agreements, corporate tax reform, intellectual property protection, and other policy priorities.
“America is the world’s leading source of cutting-edge technology,” Senator Coons said. “The technology companies represented today employ nearly a million Americans and are key drivers of our innovation economy. Congress can and should support American innovators by working together to open up markets abroad, protect intellectual property, and build a competitive tax code that incentivizes innovation. I am grateful to all the industry leaders who participated in today’s conversation and look forward to continuing to work with them to promote our global competitiveness.”
Senator Coons has established himself as a leader on innovation policy by introducing a series of bills that support research and development, and help innovative small businesses grow to create jobs. He introduced the Innovators Job Creation Act with Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) earlier this year and the Startup Innovation Credit Act with Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) last January to help startups and other small companies take advantage of valuable R&D tax credits.
He also teamed up with Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) this year to introduce legislation that would modernize the United States’ national lab system to make the innovation pipeline more efficient and give labs new flexibility to partner with the private sector.
Senator Coons was recognized as a 2014 TechVoice Champion earlier this year by CompTIA and TECNA, two technology policy groups representing thousands of U.S. technology firms, for his work in support of innovation and America’s small and medium-sized technology firms.
Hearing -- Aviation Competitiveness Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) held a hearing of Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security on March 13. The hearing focused on challenges facing the U.S. aviation industry, and what steps the U.S. can take to maintain its leadership in the global market and create American jobs. Sen. Cantwell called for five steps to boost U.S. competitiveness:
Increase investment in STEM education and apprenticeship programs to ensure a robust supply of skilled workers;
Use the WTO to challenge unfair subsidies provided by foreign governments;
Continue export financing through the Export-Import Bank;
Modernize the nation’s air traffic control system by implementing the NextGen satellite-based system;
News -- Franken tours E.J. Ajax Metal Forming Solutions Sen. Franken recently toured E.J. Ajax Metal Forming Solutions, where he spoke with representatives from local technical colleges, local business, and HIRED, a Twin Cities provider of job skills training for disadvantaged job seekers. More:National Skills Coalition
News -- Sen Coons and Rep Kelly meet with small manufacturers Members of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition came to Congress to meet with Sen Coons (D-DE) and Rep Kelly (R-PA) to discuss the Manufacturing Extension Partnership on March 4th and 5th. More:ASMC
News -- DuPont hosts engineering events to inspire young people DuPont recently hosted two local events to highlight the impact engineers can have on society and encourage young people to consider the STEM professions. During DuPont’s sponsorship of national Engineers Week, the company invited middle school students to present a model of a city they had designed during a nationwide competition called Future Cities. More:News Journal
Interview -- The importance of skills training Michael Tamasi, CEO of AccuRounds, recently spoke with Fox Business about what is needed to boost hiring, highlighting the importance of skills training. More:Fox Business
News -- Precision Plus hosts student manufacturing day Mike Reader, CEO of Precision Plus in Elkhorn, WI and a member of the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) recently produced a student Manufacturing Day Panel at Elkhorn Area High School. Over 200 students from five area schools listened to local manufacturing companies describe the opportunities and their personal insights on local manufacturing. 2.7 million U.S. manufacturing workers are set to retire in the next 3-5 years, and there is a huge deficit in the number of young people applying for jobs in manufacturing. More:PMPA
Report -- Ontario Made: Rethinking Manufacturing in the 21st Century A new paper by the University of Toronto examining Ontario’s manufacturing sector provides useful international comparisons for U.S. policymakers. The authors recommend a focus on advanced manufacturing through a focus on investments in skills, R&D, equipment, and information technology. More:Mowat Centre
Report -- What jobs are being offshored, and where are they going? A new working paper from economists at UC Berkley and MIT used new data to look at the type of jobs that are being offshored, and where those jobs are going. The paper finds very few companies offshore their core competencies, but that large manufacturers tend to do so at a significantly higher rate than other sectors. The majority of offshoring tends to go to locations with costs comparable to the U.S., contrary to popular perception. More:IRLE | The Economist
Report -- Why you should care about the federal budget A blog post from Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation looks at the implications of the President’s Budget for American manufacturers. The blog post finds that the budget contained positives, such as funding for NNMI, and shortcomings, such as slower growth in R&D funding. More:Industry Week
Report -- Assessing U.S. corporate tax reform in an age of global competition A report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation describes the impact of the corporate income tax on the economy and analyzes the major issues involved in creating tax reform that both increases economic growth and reduces the burden of federal debt. More:ITIF
At the second meeting of the budget conference committee Wednesday, Senator Coons questioned Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf about the impact of Congress’ current spending decisions on the nation’s economic competitiveness and the long-term unemployed.
“You've testified before that not all cuts are the same, and that there are some ways in which we are cutting that are hurting our long-term competitiveness,” Senator Coons said. “That short-term cuts in things like education, or infrastructure, or research and development produce longer-term reductions in our capacity, and that we should be prioritizing things that will accelerate growth – that we should not be simply trying to get through this difficult fiscal time in a way that focuses on austerity; that we should also be investing in a way that sustains growth.”
When asked about policies that could accelerate growth and help the long-term unemployed, Director Elmendorf said, “Of all non-defense discretionary spending, half represents investment of some sort. About 20 percent of non-defense discretionary spending is investment in physical capital, such as highways, another 15 percent goes for education and training, and about 10 percent goes for R&D, such as health research. Over all, we think those investments help to build a stronger economy in the future and cutbacks in those investments would reduce output and income in the future.”
The problem of long-term unemployment, Elmendorf noted, also “has important economic effects over time… It poses a very large risk of there being some set of people who will not find their way back to work at all or will not find their way to the productive sort of work that they were in before they lost their jobs.”
Elmendorf said the CBO has “reviewed the evidence on a large number of different ways of trying to help people get back into the labor force,” a number of which “have been successful on a small scale and have not been tried on a large scale.” Elmendorf pledged to work with Senator Coons on developing policies that help the long-term unemployed get back to work.
A member of the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Coons released his six-page letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee detailing his priorities for their effort to reform the nation’s tax code.
As part of their “blank slate” approach to comprehensive tax reform, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) gave their colleagues the opportunity to submit letters explaining the tax “expenditures” they’d like to see preserved or added to the tax code. Although senators were given the opportunity to submit their letters confidentially, Senator Coons volunteered to make his letter public.
"America’s tax code is too long, too complex, and unfair," Senator Coons wrote. "It stifles economic growth and the government’s ability to efficiently collect the revenue it needs. We badly need reform that broadens the tax base and lowers tax rates, simplifying a process that wastes too much time and money, and hurts our global competitiveness. We can achieve this kind of reform by following three broad principles: a new code must maintain or increase progressivity, raise revenue to reduce our deficits, and spur economic growth."
The letter highlghted Senator Coons' eight priorities, saying Congress should:
Preserve and strengthen the social safety net;
Encourage savings for retirement;
Protect access to affordable housing and home ownership for families, while making renting more affordable for low-income households;
Incentivize state and local investment in infrastructure, public facilities, and community development;
Make college more affordable;
Broaden access to health insurance, especially by helping small businesses offset the cost of insurance for their employees;
Support policies that help families and caregivers pay for dependents; and
Promote a robust network of non-profit and charitable organizations.
Senator Coons spoke Wednesday at the first annual New Castle County Economic Development Luncheon. The lunch discussion focused on ways to foster and develop a strong economic and entrepreneurial system in New Castle County and across Delaware.
Chris reiterated his commitment to Delaware startups, noting that new businesses are powerful drivers of job creation and economic recovery. Over a 25 year period between 1980 and 2005, most of the net new jobs in America – about 40 million jobs – were created by firms that were five years old or less.
Since he arrived in the Senate, Chris has used his private sector experience to shape a number of job creating pieces of legislation that support innovative startups and entrepreneurs. He has especially focused on making the Research and Development Tax Credit available to newer businesses, in addition to more established companies.
To read more about Chris’ work supporting job creation and economic competitiveness, click here.
Last week, Senator Coons took part in a launch celebration unveiling the new Horn Program in Entrepreneurship at UD.
Made possible by a generous gift from Charles and Patricia Horn, this program will encourage students to pursue the kind of entrepreneurial ideas that will power Delaware’s economy for years to come.
The Horn program will enhance and expand entrepreneurial studies at UD and be made up of a variety of initiatives like the Venture Development Center, a student business incubator, Hen Hatch, UD’s premier startup funding competition and an annual President’s Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It will also support new curricular offerings at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Chris believes that supporting our innovators and entrepreneurs is critical to our economic recovery.
To read more about his work to create jobs and promote American economic competitiveness, click here.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently published a new report making clear the economic necessity of investing in our nation’s infrastructure. The report, entitled Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Airports, Inland Waterways, and Marine Ports Infrastructure, highlights the broad economic repercussions of failing to invest in our nation’s trading centers.
The report’s economic findings demonstrate the urgent need for significant investment in our aging infrastructure—for our continued productivity, our economic competitiveness and the affordability of the millions of household goods that traverse our ports. An investment of $15.8 billion is needed by 2020, the report finds, to close the funding gap and accommodate trade growth in our marine ports and inland waterways. The stakes are high. If we fail to close the gap, the report estimates cumulative losses of $697 billion in GDP, $1.3 trillion in business sales, $872 billion in disposable personal income, and $270 billion in exports By 2040, these losses reach into the trillions of dollars.
Senator Coons has been an outspoken advocate for infrastructure investment, co-sponsoring legislation such as the Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development Act,the Rebuild America Jobs Act and the Harbor Maintenance Act that invest in America’s future while providing high wage, high skill jobs for American workers.
The Port of Wilmington plays a critical role in Delaware’s economy, transporting more than five million tons of goods and generating nearly $30 million in state tax revenue each year. The port’s operations provide jobs for 5,000 Delawareans and planned expansions could create up to 75,000 jobs in the region. The Delaware River Deepening Project, slated for completion in 2017, would dredge the Delaware River from a depth of 40 feet to 45 feet, which will attract larger, more efficient cargo ships and increase Wilmington’s competiveness on the Eastern Seaboard. Chris is committed to ensuring its completion and will keep fighting to make sure the Port of Wilmington has the resources it needs to thrive.
