PRESIDENT SIGNS KENNEDY MANUFACTURING BILL INTO LAW

Washington, DC – After two years of bipartisan effort, President Obama last night signed Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI) into law. RAMI will create a network of regional manufacturing institutes across the country to support domestic production, drive innovation and expand workforce development in growing industries. It was included as part of the 2015 omnibus spending bill.
 
Kennedy introduced RAMI with Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY) in 2013. Securing over 100 co-sponsors, evenly split between both sides of the aisle, the bill passed the House of Representatives in September with overwhelming support.  A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO).
 
“Across the country, our manufacturing sector is connecting industrial cities, middle-class communities and working families with the opportunities of an innovation economy,” said Congressman Kennedy. “After two years building a strong, bipartisan coalition of support, I’m thrilled to see RAMI signed into law. I’m grateful for the partnership of Congressman Reed, Senators Brown and Blunt, and all of our partners in the public and private sectors that pushed this bill across the finish line.”  
 
"We have worked tirelessly to get this bill to the finish line,” said Congressman Reed. “In these hyper-partisan times it can be difficult to build consensus but we worked in a strong bipartisan manner and succeeded in this effort. I want to thank Rep. Kennedy, Senator Blunt and Senator Brown for their hard work on this important manufacturing jobs bill."
 
Background on RAMI:
 
RAMI will create a network of regional institutes across the country, each focused on a unique technology, material, or process relevant to advanced manufacturing. Comprised of local industry, academia and other stakeholders, the institutes will work to (1) expand research and development, (2) close the gap between R&D and commercialization of products, (3) support small and mid-sized manufacturers, and (4) train a top-tier advanced manufacturing workforce. For more information, please visit: http://kennedy.house.gov/reed-kennedy.
 
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For Immediate Release:
December 17, 2014
 
Contact:
Emily Kaufman (617) 332-3333
Dan Black (202) 225-5931

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