Gallego, Justice Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Continue America’s High-Tech Manufacturing Growth

WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Jim Justice (R-WV) introduced the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Ac t to incentivize domestic manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The bill would provide a 25% tax credit for the purchase or acquisition of American-made PCBs. “Arizona is emerging as a key leader in semiconductor manufacturing. But those chips are useless without the printed circuit boards that make them work, and the U.S. has been losing to China in circuit board manufacturing for decades,” said Senator Gallego . “This bipartisan bill is how we continue our efforts to reshore high-tech manufacturing in the U.S., securing our supply chains while creating thousands of good-paying jobs.” “America must do everything we can to stay competitive with other countries around the world, and that starts with making more products right here at home — including printing circuit boards. The Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act is a win for American workers, manufacturers, and supply chains. It’s time to bring business back home from overseas, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and lower costs by investing in products proudly made right here in the United States of America,” said Senator Justice . As the material on which semiconductors sit, PCBs are a critical part of the supply chain. Over the past few decades, the U.S. global market share for PCBs has declined from 30% to just 4%, leaving the U.S. dependent on overseas providers, particularly China, which now produces over half of the world’s circuit boards. The Printed Circuit Boards and Substrates Act tax credit would create a domestic demand signal and encourage companies to invest in innovation to bring down PCB manufacturing costs. “The legislation that Senators Gallego and Justice introduced today supports the American-made microelectronics manufacturing that will drive the replenishment of defense and aerospace stockpiles and revitalize commercial industries”, said Shane Whiteside, Chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America and President and CEO of Summit Interconnect . “Reshoring and restoring the printed circuit board industry is one step closer to reality because of this legislation.” The bill is also endorsed by the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Read a one-page explainer HERE . Read the full bill HERE .