Sponsors (5)
The bill secures predictable, nationwide access to MEP services and strengthens program consistency—benefiting small manufacturers and supply-chain resilience—while increasing ongoing federal obligations, reducing flexibility to tailor or reallocate funds, and creating legal/operational risks if funding falls short.
Small manufacturers in all 50 States and Puerto Rico retain predictable access to MEP center services, supporting business modernization, competitiveness, and more reliable assistance for firms that rely on those services.
Creates greater predictability, consistency, and accountability in program implementation by tying center competitions to regular appropriations and converting prior discretionary behavior into binding requirements, helping state and local planners and program partners coordinate long-term.
Maintains federal support for manufacturing supply-chain resilience and technology adoption through the Hollings MEP program, helping preserve domestic manufacturing capabilities important to economic and security goals.
If Congress withholds or fails to appropriate funds, MEP centers could be discontinued or services disrupted, directly harming the manufacturers and communities that depend on them.
Mandating awards in every State and Puerto Rico and converting discretionary actions into legal obligations reduces programmatic flexibility to reallocate scarce funds or tailor support to changing local needs, which can spread resources thin and lower efficiency.
Imposes ongoing federal funding and administrative burdens on appropriators and program administrators (and potentially higher costs overall), creating a continuing fiscal commitment for taxpayers and program managers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Makes continuation and nationwide awarding of NIST Hollings MEP centers mandatory each year (starting FY2025) when Congress provides appropriations and changes “may” to “shall” in the MEP statute.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Commerce to continue to operate the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Sharice Davids · Last progress April 10, 2025
Requires the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program at NIST to continue each fiscal year beginning FY2025 — maintaining competitively awarded MEP Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico — unless Congress fails to appropriate funds. It also amends the MEP statute to change discretionary language from “may” to “shall,” turning a prior option into a legal obligation for the agency or official to carry out the directed action.