Gov. Eric Holcomb joined President Joe Biden and others this week to call for a bill in Congress to create more semiconductor manufacturing jobs. They’re calling it a “bipartisan innovation act,” but lawmakers haven’t finalized or even published language to vote on yet.
Although the details are getting ironed out, the main goal is clear: boost semiconductor research and production in the U.S. to prevent supply chain shortages that stalled industries like car manufacturing. Data from the Semiconductor Industry Association shows only about 12 percent of the chips worldwide are currently made in the U.S.
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Holcomb asked for urgent action, hoping it will benefit Indiana by stabilizing manufacturing supply chains and growing the number of competitive technology jobs.
“We’ve got to get there and we’ve got to get there yesterday,” he said. “And then also [create] partnerships. For us and the Midwest we have those talent pipelines [to fill those jobs].”
Holcomb specifically asked that the final legislation include provisions from the CHIPS for America Act. That language created grants and tax credits for semiconductor companies.
Contact reporter Justin at jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.
