U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of U.S. senators and representatives in introducing legislation to create a permanent program to put designated manufacturing communities at the top of federal economic development funding lists.
The bill would provide permanent funding for the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership program that President Obama launched in May 2014.
This program has provided federal economic development funding for 24 communities around the nation, including the Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Communities Region. It is a partnership between manufacturers including Pratt and Whitney and Electric Boat, workforce development nonprofits, the state’s technical high schools and state agencies.
The partnership currently oversees a $30 million manufacturing innovation fund to help lead growth in the state’s aerospace and shipbuilding industries and ensure students and workers are trained in the jobs those industries provide.
The bill would create a permanent program to competitively award regions with the “Manufacturing Community” designation, giving them preferred consideration when applying for up to $1.3 billion in currently available federal economic development funding for manufacturing.
This legislation encourages a regionally driven approach to strengthening the manufacturing industry. To compete for funding through this program and earn the “Manufacturing Communities” designation, communities would create regional partnerships with key stakeholders such as local and state economic development officials, local governments, manufacturers, labor organizations, and higher education or other training providers.
