CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE, COMMUNITY PARTNERS HIGHLIGHT LEGISLATION TO CREATE LOCAL JOBS, BOLSTER COMPETITIVENESS, AND LOWER EVERYDAY COSTS FOR FAMILIES

(Rochester, NY) — Today, Congressman Joe Morelle and community partners celebrated the passage of historic legislation to uplift Rochester families and advance our role as a leader in innovation. The CHIPS and Science Act, which passed the House of Representatives last week, will support the creation of critical new jobs, lower the cost of everyday goods families rely on, and strengthen competitiveness with countries like China.

“For generations, Rochester has been synonymous with technology, knowledge, and entrepreneurship,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “With this legislation, we are investing in what makes our community special and turning the page on a new chapter that will foster growth and opportunity for families, businesses, and workers alike. We’re creating jobs, lowering costs, and creating long-term economic stability that will propel Rochester into the future and cement our place as a national leader in innovation for years to come.”

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy said, "The Greater Rochester region is leading the way in high-tech advancements that are changing how people around the world live, work, and play. The CHIPS and Science Act will create good job opportunities in the manufacturing space, lower the cost of goods, and create opportunities for families here in Rochester to achieve economic stability. We thank Congressman Morelle for his tireless advocacy and investments in advancing the Finger Lakes region’s role in global innovation.”

“I applaud the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and thank Rep. Morelle for his efforts to reinvigorate American competitiveness, scientific leadership, and technological preeminence by expanding investments in federal R&D,” said University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “With our community’s strength in optics and well-recognized potential to become new technology hub and growth center, we strongly believe that the University of Rochester and the greater Finger Lakes region as a whole are well-positioned to be national leaders in these areas. We especially welcome the NSF Regional Innovation Engines, Department of Commerce Technology Hubs, Department of Energy High Intensity Laser Research Initiative, and investments in semiconductor packaging and microelectronics, and look forward to continuing working with Rep. Morelle to support those efforts.”

“This is an important day for innovation and research that was made possible by Congressman Joe Morelle,” said RIT President David C. Munson, Jr. “The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 will ensure America’s ability to remain competitive globally with universities, such as RIT, playing a significant role to help strengthen the domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry and educate, and graduate, the talent needed for this historical effort to succeed.”

DeAnna R. Burt Nanna, Ph.D., president of Monroe Community College, said: “Many thanks go to our Congressional representatives, especially Congressman Joe Morelle, for their leadership and vision for industry innovation, job creation and economic growth. Federal support through the CHIPS and Science Act will enable institutions like Monroe Community College (Rochester, N.Y.) to expand efforts in preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow and fulfilling employers’ growing demands for skilled technicians. In collaboration with government, industry and academia partners, MCC has a 60-year track record of strengthening the talent pipeline and is committed to providing viable pathways to high-demand careers with family-sustaining wages for diverse learners.”

The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act invests in the domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips, which power everything from our cars to our TVs to our smartphones and household appliances. Over the last few years, countries like China have significantly outpaced America in developing these chips. China has invested more than $150 billion to build their domestic chip manufacturing capacity, causing America to fall behind.This legislation will put us back on pace to compete with China while reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains, in turn lowering the costs of goods that rely on semiconductor chips and passing those savings on to families.

The legislation also invests in creating regional innovation hubs, a concept Congressman Morelle has long championed. Rochester, New York was identified by the Brookings Institute as one of the top regions for growth opportunity in the high-tech industry—and it ranked #1 among 102 US metro areas for its innovation-driven growth potential in a 2019 book by MIT economics Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson called “Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream.”

Additional highlights of the CHIPS and Science Act include:

• Invests in the creation of 20 geographically distributed regional technology hubs to focus on technology development, job creation, and expanding U.S. innovation capacity;
• Provides financial assistance to build, expand, or modernize domestic facilities and equipment for semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, advanced packaging, or research and development;
• Implements the CHIPS for America Workforce and Education Fund to kick start development of the domestic semiconductor workforce;
• Strengthens research and development through the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which will power America’s preeminence in both basic research and next-generation technologies;
• Supports RECOMPETES grant program for persistently distressed communities, creating good-paying jobs meeting local economic development needs.