A bill to improve the administration of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and for other purposes.

This bill changes how the federal Commerce Department runs the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a network of centers that help manufacturers. It would require, rather than allow, the Secretary to enter cooperative agreements with centers, and would add a review of each center's financial management, including checks for fraud and misuse of funds. A center on probation would be reevaluated within 180 days. If a center fails probation or loses its funding, the Secretary would have to start a competition for a new operator within 30 days, keep applications open no more than 90 days, pick an operator within 30 days after that, and pass remaining funds to the new operator. The Secretary could take adverse action against a center only after an evaluation that is other than positive.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Adam B. Schiff Democrat sponsor
• 3 cosponsors