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WOLF REINTRODUCES MAJOR JOB CREATION INITIATIVE:
‘Bring Jobs Back to America Act’ Aimed at Creating More Jobs in the U.S.

Washington, D.C. - In an effort to bring jobs back to the United States and rebuild the American manufacturing base, Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation to develop a national job repatriation strategy focused on returning manufacturing and call center jobs to America that have been outsourced to China and other countries.

The Bring Jobs Back to America Act would comprehensively align existing federal funding - at no new cost - to organize a national strategy to rebuild America’s manufacturing industry, study incentives including tax breaks for companies looking to return jobs to the United States, and streamline the patent process for American research universities and bring innovative technologies to market faster.

"Reducing the unemployment rate and restoring a vibrant economy will take new and creative ideas that allow us to compete in a global economy" said Wolf. "This is a commonsense, first step toward reducing the competition gap that exists between the U.S. manufacturing industry and the rest of the world."

Wolf cited the legislation’s solid Constitutional founding in the "Foreign Commerce Clause" in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution to support introduction of the legislation and included five year sunset provisions in the measure so that Congress is forced to reauthorize the bill in five years.  Additionally, any new spending authorized would be completely offset with spending cuts.

The bipartisan measure has 7 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle including Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), the lead Democrat who originally backed the bill in the last Congress.

"This bill represents the kind of bipartisan approach we need to create good-paying jobs,"  Lipinski said.  "Neither our manufacturing sector nor our middle class can afford another decade of job losses like the one that just ended.  The time for coordinated, farsighted action is now."

Wolf’s legislation is also backed by the American Small Manufacturing Coalition (ASMC), a key manufacturing group.

"Manufacturers - particularly small and mid-sized producers - are at a crossroads," said Sandy Johnson, chairman of the ASMC.  "We applaud Congressman Wolf’s interest in ensuring that manufacturers have all of the resources available to them to compete and win in this country."

Wolf’s legislation includes several key elements:

• Requires the secretary of Commerce to create a National Manufacturing and Repatriation Strategy and report back to Congress within 90 days;

• Creates Repatriation Task Forces with representatives from the Commerce Department and private sector to support efforts of state and local economic development agencies to attract foreign jobs;

• Re-institutes President Reagan’s, "Project Socrates,"  to study international manufacturing trends and offer solutions for how America can compete against countries such as China, Japan, and India;

• Mandates a study of a major new tax incentive to lower the barriers to entry for companies looking to return jobs to the U.S. market;

• Prioritizes patent applications from American universities to ensure that cutting-edge new technologies are rapidly transferred for U.S. firms to create jobs; and

• Provides intellectual property protections to prevent other countries from stealing U.S. technology, based on recommendations from the U.S. - China Economic and Security Commission.

"With this legislation we can begin the re-birth of our crumbling manufacturing sector," Wolf said.  "It’s time for states to begin competing for jobs with the rest of the world, not with each other."

EDITORS NOTE: Pursuant to clause 7 of Rule XII of the Rules of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress, the following statement is submitted regarding the specific powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the accompanying bill or joint resolution.

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, which states: "Congress shall have power to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian Tribes."