CÁRDENAS INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN MANUFACTURING ASSISTANCE LEGISLATION

CÁRDENAS INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN MANUFACTURING ASSISTANCE LEGISLATION

(Washington, DC) -- Today, U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley) introduced another piece of bipartisan legislation to improve American manufacturing and support manufacturers in Los Angeles. The American Manufacturing Workforce Act will increase the flexibility of the industry as new technologies change our economy.

The American Manufacturing Workforce Act is co-sponsored by Reps. David Joyce (R-OH), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Mark Veasey (D-TX), William Enyart (D-IL) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC).

The American Manufacturing Workforce Act will increase flexibility of the industry by offering tax credits of up to $1,000 to unemployed individuals who receive manufacturing training. It will also create similar incentives for employers who provide manufacturing training to their workers. Eligibility for these tax credits will be limited to the top fifteen manufacturing states in the nation.

“Manufacturing workers are the backbone of America,” said Cárdenas. “Our workers are second-to-none, but manufacturing techniques are changing. Our training and skills must change as well. Tax credits will be a great incentive for workers to learn new skills, while creating a bigger workforce from which American manufacturers can hire.”

California is home to 17 percent of United States aerospace production, with 80 percent of aerospace workers living in the Southern California region. The San Fernando Valley has also become home to biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing, including companies like St. Jude Medical in Sylmar; apparel manufacturing, including Juicy Couture; and plastics companies, like PPG, which makes windows and canopies for aircraft, including a revolutionary plastic-glass hybrid window for the Boeing Dreamliner.

Cárdenas’ legislation was introduced because increasing mechanization of manufacturing often means advanced training and skills are needed to qualify for unfilled manufacturing jobs, while many employers are often stretched too thin to train new or current employees.

The American Manufacturing Workforce Act will offset costs for unemployed Americans to obtain new skills that will make them competitive, while incentivizing employers for playing a role in the training of their employees.

The American Manufacturing Workforce Act will also create a Presidential award for leadership in Manufacturing Job Training.  This award would be given to employers who demonstrate extraordinary efforts in assisting their employees to improve manufacturing skills and training, further increasing the productivity of American manufacturing.

Earlier this year, Cárdenas championed the designation of Southern California as a federal Manufacturing Community, designated as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP). The IMCP, created by the Department of Commerce, allows the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership for Southern California (AMP SoCal) to utilize a pool of $1.3 billion in federal economic development assistance, along with receiving customized support from nearly a dozen federal government agencies.

Click HERE to learn more about the bill, with a section-by-section explanation.

Click HERE to read the full text of the proposed legislation.

-30-