The U.S. Economy Needs the Bipartisan Innovation Act and the PCB Act

After more than two decades of outsourcing, the United States still designs cutting-edge electronics but manufactures only a small fraction of the global supply, creating serious risks to U.S. economic and national security. Now there is a pair of bills in the U.S. Congress that would directly address these concerns, and IPC is leading the charge for them. 

The Bipartisan Innovation Act – also known as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) in the Senate and the America COMPETES Act in the House – would provide $52 billion to boost U.S. semiconductor chip manufacturing and billions more for research and development of other advanced technologies.

Meanwhile, the bipartisan Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act (the PCB Act) is a new proposal to invest in the domestic electronics supply chain by incentivizing purchases of domestically produced PCBs and investments in factories, equipment, workforce training, and R&D.

In a new IPC video interview, IPC Vice President of Global Government Relations Chris Mitchell explains why Congress must enact these bills as part of a holistic approach to rebuild the domestic electronics manufacturing ecosystem. He also urges IPC members to get involved and make their voices heard on this business-critical issue.

Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

• “Electronics manufacturers enthusiastically support the Bipartisan Innovation Act. … And that money is not only going to silicon fabrication, but it’s also to advanced packaging, which is a critical component of making sure that the United States is able to manufacture the most sophisticated semiconductor components.”

• “This is an industry that learns by doing. When we are not producing here [in the United States] the most sophisticated electronics, and at scale, we are losing the opportunity to build our craft and our capabilities.”

• “We need to treat this legislation as the first of multiple steps in helping to rebuild U.S. electronics manufacturing. That means looking at how we support other segments of the industry, which, quite frankly, have been neglected by government despite repeated warnings by experts both inside and outside of government.”

• [In the PCB Act], you have the investment component, basically investing in manufacturing capacity and capabilities as well as R&D and workforce training, which we know is a big challenge here in the United States. … And we need to make sure that there is a growing demand for domestically made electronics, and so there is a tax component that would provide 25% tax credit to those US taxpayers – OEMS, EMS companies – that purchase or acquire U.S.-made PCBs.

• “I encourage everyone in this industry to learn more about these bills and reach out to their members of Congress, especially at this point, given the heightened interest in our supply chain.”

To learn more and take action, visit IPC.org and look on the Advocacy page; then visit the Action Alert Center to send a message to your members of Congress with just a few clicks. You may also contact IPC’s Ken Schramko if you’d like to add your company’s name to our roster of support for these bills.