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For Immediate Release Contact: Dave Natonski
February 18, 2010 202.503.6124Schock Helps Illinois Manufacturers Make Critical Improvements and Compete Globally
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Aaron Schock (IL-18) announced his recent cosponsorship of legislation that would enable Illinois manufacturers to continue to receive cost-effective services from the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC). This follows a letter Congressman Schock authored with a bipartisan coalition of Illinois Representatives to Governor Quinn, urging the state to include funding for the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center.
The bill, H.R. 4393, would reduce an MEP center’s matching funds requirement from 66 percent to 50 percent, and give the Secretary of Commerce the authority to reduce the match further if circumstances necessitate such action.
“MEP is one of the most successful federal-state-industrial partnerships in government,” said Schock. “The companies served by IMEC achieve sales and cost benefits more than four times greater than firms that don’t receive similar help—and typically hire workers and invest in facilities when many others are struggling. The matching funds relief will enable IMEC to continue to provide these much needed services to struggling manufacturers, and ensure that all available federal funds can be utilized.”
One of 59 affiliate centers of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), IMEC leverages federal funds to reach out to manufacturers throughout the state, assess their needs, and provide them with best practice solutions to improve productivity and create jobs. Each federal dollar requires two additional dollars of cost-share match from states and industry. As states like Illinois have decreased or eliminated funding for their MEP centers, the cost share burden has shifted to smaller manufacturers, many of whom have been unable to make necessary investments in continuous improvement because of the economic downturn.
“IMEC is grateful that Congressmen Schock so clearly understands the threat to our smaller manufacturers posed by the fiscal problems facing many industrial states,” said Tucker Kennedy, IMEC Vice President. “By reducing the match requirement for IMEC’s federal funding, the federal government can keep its valuable support flowing to states like Illinois where the need is likely to be greatest.”
Last Spring, Congressman Schock organized a bi-partisan coalition of Illinois representatives in sending a letter to Governor Quinn, urging the state to include funding for the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center.
“We continue to convey our support for IMEC and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and want to make sure that the Governor is aware of the opportunity to leverage up to $4.5 million in federal funds to help manufacturers make the improvements they need to compete globally,” said Schock. "In these uncertain economic times, manufacturers need help to weather the current downturn and position to grow in the future. With the state’s fiscal challenges, it makes sense to invest in a program that delivers a return of jobs and tax revenue.”
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership was credited with creating or retaining 57,000 manufacturing jobs in 2007 and increasing or retaining $10.5 billion in sales for participants. In Illinois, IMEC generates more than $100 million in annual impacts on manufacturing cost savings, sales, and investments. These benefits, in turn result in more than $250,000,000 in state and local economic impacts, including four dollars in new state and local tax revenues per dollar of state contribution. In the last two years alone, the companies IMEC served reported creating retaining nearly 2,200 jobs at a time when many other companies were reducing employment.
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