Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
WASHINGTON,D.C. –U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), alongside U.S.Representatives Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35) and Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.-03), todayintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral NationalManufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Supply Chain Database Act. Thislegislation would establish a national database with information about theinterconnectivity of manufacturers in the UnitedStates supply chain. The database would help prevent future supply chaindisruptions by offering manufacturers key information as they make decisions onhow to retool in critical areas to meet the demand for key products, such asdefense supplies, food, and medical devices.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in our ownnational supply chains that we are still dealing with as a country and thatmake us susceptible during moments of crisis,” said Sen. Menendez.“Future pandemics, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, raw material shortages,and even trade disputes could cripple our supply chains right when we need toengage them most in order to deliver critical goods to the American public.That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral bill to ensure thefederal government has a critical tool that could give us reliable informationabout American manufacturers’ capabilities and inventories in order to preventfuture disruptions should a future crisis arise.”
“We’ve all seen how the supply chain crisis is hurting businessesand consumers across the country, from product shortages to rapidly risingprices and job loss,” said Sen. Blackburn. This legislation will helpbring needed transparency to manufacturers and businesses struggling to gettheir supply chains back on track. It will also keep states at the forefront ofthe conversation to ensure that states like Tennessee that lead the nation inmanufacturing have the data they need to make critical operational decisions.”
“At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw to a devastatingdegree how vulnerable our supply chains are, especially for crucial goods likepersonal protective equipment. We also saw the good that was done when localbusinesses and small manufacturers stepped up to meet the challenge. Thislegislation will help patch those holes, prevent similar breakdowns, and createinfrastructure for American small manufacturers to play a key role in futurecrises,” said Congresswoman Torres. “And while a global public healthcrisis is an acute example of why strong supply chains are so critical, thisisn’t just important for times of emergency. When we can spot supply chainweaknesses before they reach American consumers, our entire economy is morestable. The database will greatly help the day-to-day operations for American manufacturersby better connecting them with opportunities and needs, which means more jobsand better pay in our communities.”
“Over the last year, Tennesseans and Americans across our countryhave seen the fragility of our nation’s supply chain. I am proud to helpintroduce this bipartisan, bicameral piece of legislation that will provideincreased visibility into our domestic manufacturing supply chain system,” saidCongressman Fleischmann.
As demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, anational overview of our manufacturing supply chain would help avoid futurebottlenecks. During the early stages of the pandemic, states understood whatwas produced in their states, but were generally unaware of how dependentin-state manufacturing was on out-of-state resources. This legislation wouldhelp close this gap in available information about America’s manufacturingsupply chains by leveraging the Hollings MEP program of the National InstituteStandards and Technology (NIST) to create the National MEP Supply ChainDatabase and connect MEP centers through this national database. The MEPprogram is a federal public-private partnership that provides small andmedium-sized manufacturers technology-based services these firms need to growand thrive in today’s economy and create well-paying manufacturing jobs.
TheMEP National Network includes 51 MEP Centers located inall 50 states and Puerto Rico supported by more than 1,400 advisors andexperts at approximately 375 MEP service locations. According to clients surveyed in FY2020, the MEP National Network helped manufacturers achieve $13.0 billionin sales, $2.7 billion in cost savings, $4.9 billion in new client investments,and helped to create and retain 105,748 U.S. manufacturing jobs.
TheNational MEP Supply Chain Database Act is supported by the New JerseyManufacturing Extension Program and the American Small Manufacturers Coalition.
“Manypeople are now just coming to the realization that our U.S. supply chain iscompromised, but NJMEP’s discussions on this topic with Senator Menendez began5-years ago,” said John Kennedy, CEO of the New Jersey ManufacturingExtension Program. “Over this time, a viable plan to map and control oursupply chain nationally has been developed, which would implement a robustdatabase that draws on the considerable strength brought forward by the MEP National Network. Again, this has been a long journey,and without the leadership and vision of Senators Menendez and Blackburn, aswell as Representatives Torres and Fleischmann, we do not get to a placewhere ‘The National Supply Chain Database Act of 2021’ becomes a reality withbipartisan and bicameral support. There is no ‘immediate fix’, but this is agreat step forward.”
“The National Supply Chain Database bill will allow manufacturersto better understand their supply chains to potentially mitigate the risks theyare experiencing now due to the pandemic,” said Carrie Hines, President and CEO of the American SmallManufacturers Coalition. “We are exceptionally thankful for theleadership of Senators Menendez and Blackburn and Representatives Torres andFleischmann for not only recognizing the need but also establishing thedatabase within the one public/private program that can bring it to fruition –the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).”
Sen.Menendez has been a leader on this issue and a strong supporter of the HollingsMEP program. With the onset of the pandemic last year, the senatorhighlighted vulnerabilities in our manufacturing supply chains when thepandemic initially affected medical supply chains, including personalprotective equipment, and therefore introduced this bill as an amendment to2020’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA conference reportfrom last year instructedNIST to conduct a feasibility study on the need for a national supply chaindatabase that ultimately determined that it was both feasible and advisable toestablish such a national supply chain database. SenatorsMenendez and Blackburn reintroducedthis bill as an amendment to this year’sNDAA and is pursuing all options to pass this critical piece of legislationto help address future disruptions in the supply chain.
Acopy of the bill text can be found here.
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