EVANS HAILS HOUSE LEADERS JOBS AGENDA
Marks Manufacturing Report’s 100 Days Of Progress

WASHINGTON, DC - Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt and other House Republicans today unveiled the House Republican Leadership’s jobs agenda that will strengthen the economy, grow the manufacturing industry and create jobs in America.

“The Bush Administration’s manufacturing report recommended key pieces of legislation that are critical to ensuring that American companies succeed at home and abroad,” Evans said. “The House Republican Leadership jobs legislative agenda will eliminate destructive policies so that American jobs, the manufacturing industry and the economy will grow.”

The House Republican Leadership’s jobs agenda includes:

· Health Care Security. Employers are progressively more burdened by the skyrocketing cost of providing health care for their employees, which keeps them from hiring more American workers. With health care costs accounting adding to the cost of doing business, important steps can be taken to lighten the burden while increasing health care security for American workers.

· Bureaucratic Red Tape Termination. The Bush Administration has significantly streamlined the pointless paperwork that used to bog down businesses in America, decreasing the time small businesses spend pencil-pushing by 61 million hours. Still, more needs to be done to free business owners from the sticky red tape that keeps them from hiring out-of-work Americans.

· Lifelong Learning. Education does not stop after high school or college graduation. In order to compete in a global economy that expands daily, American workers need to strengthen their skills and engage in lifelong learning. Congress is committed to extensively growing America’s worker training programs to ensure that our workforce maintains its status as the most highly skilled, educated and prepared workforce in the world.

· Trade Fairness and Opportunity. Now is not the time for American products to take a back seat to what the rest of the world produces. When American products are allowed to compete on a level playing field, they come out on top. American workers deserve to compete fairly in our global economy, and Congress must assure American families that unfair and illegal practices in foreign markets won’t lead to job losses at home.

· Tax Relief and Simplification. Too many employers have to hire too many accountants and lawyers to fill out countless documents in order to comply with an overly complex tax code. In addition to the tax code’s complexity, our tax system strips would-be employers of the capital they could use to hire more workers and expand their operations. Congress will work to simplify the tax code as well as the tax burden shouldered by businesses that should be focusing on hiring, and not on writing checks to the Treasury.

· Energy Self-Sufficiency and Security. Our increased dependence upon foreign sources of energy weakens our economy and our national security. Middle Eastern oil is becoming more and more unreliable, making business in America more risky than it should be. When energy sources and prices are unpredictable, employers are less likely to invest in new employees. A strong national energy policy will solve this problem and put Americans back on the job.

· Spurring Innovation. The American work ethic is unparalleled in our global economy. Working more hours and taking fewer vacations than any other developed nation in the world, we produce superior products and services. Productivity goes hand-in-hand with this work ethic. Technological advances made through NASA and other research funding have made the workplace more friendly and more efficient, lowering the prices we pay for the cars we drive and shoes we wear. Congress will continue its commitment to the research and development funding that has turned the phrase “Made in America” from a simple label into a proud motto.

· Ending Lawsuit Abuse. Personal injury lawyers and their greedy clients have taken the American legal system to an all-time low. A system that allows obese individuals to blame their condition on the cheeseburgers they voluntarily buy at the local burger stand is not a system of justice—it is an affront on the common-sense principles of personal responsibility that are the foundation of American values. Fraud and abuse in our legal system must be eliminated. A system in which companies spend more money fighting off frivolous lawsuits than the gross national product of some nations in the U.N. is a system in dire need of reform.

Secretary Evans also marked the 100 days of progress since the Administration’s Manufacturing in America report was unveiled in Cleveland, Ohio.

“One hundred days ago, we released the lessons learned from discussions we had with American manufacturers. They told us they wanted action and we acted,” said Evans. “Today manufacturers have a stronger voice that will advocate for them and solve problems that are hurting American companies.”

Highlights of implemented recommendations include:

· Announced Intent to Nominate Al Frink as the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing. Manufacturers now have a permanent ally in the government who will work for them every day and will be a strong advocate for America’s businesses and workers.

· Named Chair and Vice Chair of Manufacturing Council. Evans appointed Don Wainwright as Chairman and Karen Wright as Vice-Chair of the Manufacturing Council. The Manufacturing Council will ensure manufacturers of all sizes have a voice in the ongoing implementation of the administration’s manufacturing initiative.

· Created Unfair Trade Practices Task Force. Task Force is working aggressively to enforce trade agreements, level the playing field and hold our trading partners accountable.

· Expanded R&D for Small Manufacturers. President Bush issued an executive order making manufacturing-related R&D a high priority for the over $2 billion distributed through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

The recommendations included in the Manufacturing in America report include input from over 20 manufacturing public roundtables held last year by the Commerce Department to identify the challenges facing the American manufacturing sector. The roundtables included small, medium and large companies from a broad range of industries, including auto parts, aerospace, biotechnology and semiconductors.

The report provides an overview of the domestic and international economic environment facing American manufacturing, highlights the views of manufacturers regarding the challenges they face, and puts forward policy recommendations to help ensure that government is doing all it can to create the conditions that will allow U.S. manufacturers to maximize their competitiveness and spur economic growth.

To view the full Manufacturing in America report, visit www.manufacturing.gov.