Description:
Major Provisions H.R. 2397 would increase the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Manufacturing USA grant program that funds collaborative research and development efforts among academia, government, and private industry to solve advanced manufacturing challenges. Manufacturing USA is administered and funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The bill also would extend the authorization for the Regional Innovation Program administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Federal Costs Increases in spending subject to appropriation under H.R. 2397 are shown in Table 1. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $218 million over the 2020-2024 period, subject to appropriation of the authorized amounts. Under current law, NIST is authorized to receive appropriations of $5 million a year over the 2015-2024 period to carry out the Manufacturing USA program. H.R. 2397 would increase that amount to $25 million each fiscal year from 2020 to 2024. CBO estimates that implementing that provision would cost $87 million over the 2020-2024 period. Under current law the DOE is authorized to transfer a total of $250 million over the 2015-2024 period to NIST to carry out the Manufacturing USA program. To date, however, no DOE appropriations have been provided for the Manufacturing USA program. H.R. 2397 would authorize DOE to receive appropriations of $70 million a year over the 2020-2022 period and $84 million a year over the 2023-2024 period to fund and operate centers of manufacturing innovation. Thus, over the 2020-2024 period, H.R. 2397 would increase the amounts authorized to be appropriated to DOE for this program by $128 million, which CBO estimates would cost $106 million over the five year period. Finally, under current law, the authorization of appropriations for the EDA’s Regional Innovation Program expires in 2019. H.R. 2397 would extend the $10 million a year authorization through 2024, which CBO estimates would cost $25 million over the next five years.
