S. 1427

Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Act of 2019

This bill expands the scope of the Network for Manufacturing Innovation program, makes changes to the funding design for the centers for manufacturing innovation, and directs interagency collaboration to develop national certifications for advanced manufacturing workforce skills.

The Network for Manufacturing Innovation program established a nationwide network of centers for manufacturing innovation, each of which has a unique technological concentration. The bill expands the definition of a center for manufacturing innovation to make eligible for inclusion in the program a center that has a predominant focus on innovative sectors (e.g., food manufacturing, superconductors, and quantum information science).

Further, the Department of Commerce must establish a regional innovation program to encourage and support the development of regional innovation strategies designed to increase innovation-driven economic opportunity within their respective regions.

The bill also strikes provisions that progressively decrease the amount of financial assistance provided to a center over a term of years and subsequently cut the center's funding entirely after seven years, replacing them with a continuing five-year, metrics-based review of a center.

Additionally, the bill (1) directs Commerce to collaborate with relevant federal departments and agencies when awarding financial assistance, and (2) authorizes Commerce to collaborate with stakeholders for the development of national certifications for advanced manufacturing workforce skills in the respective technology area of each center.