On September 15, 2014, just before Congress went into recess for the midterm elections, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2996, the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act of 2013.
[by Lauren M.. Donoghue | November 2014 | Trade & Mfg Alert]
RAMI aims to grow U.S. manufacturing by strengthening collaboration between government, educational entities, and industry. The bill would establish within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) a Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NMI), a series of regionally-based hubs focused on accelerating manufacturing innovation in technologies with commercial applications. Reps. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Joe Kennedy (D-MA) stated that they introduced RAMI as a way to “re-establish the United States as the global leader in manufacturing.” The Senate companion bill, introduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), passed the Commerce Committee back in April, but it’s unclear if it will be taken up by the full Senate before the end of the year.
