CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE VOTES TO BOLSTER AMERICAN COMPETITIVENESS, STRENGTHEN ECONOMY, AND LOWER EVERYDAY COSTS FOR FAMILIES

(Washington, D.C.) — Today, Congressman Joe Morelle voted to pass historic legislation that builds on his longstanding commitment to uplifting Rochester families and advancing America’s place as a global leader in innovation. The CHIPS and Science Act will support the creation of critical new jobs, lower the cost of everyday goods families rely on, and strengthen competitiveness with countries like China. Congressman Morelle led the debate on the House floor in support of this legislation.

“This legislation harnesses the spirit of ingenuity that has always guided America and turns the page on a new chapter in our history—one that creates economic opportunity for communities across the country and ensures our nation is back on track as the global leader we’ve always been,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “It means real jobs that will ensure children can access the American dream; it means lower costs on essential items that will ease the burden on families; and it means investing in long-term economic stability. I’m proud to support this historic legislation that will ensure we can continue to compete with countries like China and set us on the path towards a brighter future.” 

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.”

“I am particularly pleased this legislation also includes steps to enhance regional innovation, which has long been one of my top priorities and opens the door for limitless potential,” continued Congressman Morelle. “Federal investment in regional innovation hubs will uplift communities across the country that are already leading the way in high-tech advancements—communities just like Rochester, where we are already doing groundbreaking work in this field. This legislation has the power to transform cities like ours into crucibles of America’s global competitiveness.”

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.

For more information on the legislation, click here.