Bryan Iams, vice president of corporate and government affairs for PPG Industries, argues on the “Congress Blog” inThe Hill(1/12) that “there has never been a better time” for lawmakers “to leverage the current revival in U.S. manufacturing.” He cites a NAM finding that the sector accounts for over 17 million good-paying American jobs and contributes over $2 trillion to GDP, or 12.5%. Iams credits “affordable energy” and “competitive labor costs” for current successes, but he calls for “the help of our elected officials to continue this momentum.” Congress’ focus, he says, should be on: making the US tax system “more competitive” and aimed at spurring innovation, investment, job creation, and growth; “enhancing” education through increased STEM instruction “to address the ongoing skills gap and build the 21st-century workforce that manufacturers need”; streamlining immigration procedures so that “talented” foreign workers can remain in the US “without displacing” American employees; and creating an environment in which “regulation isn’t a hindrance to growth.”

Bryan Iams, vice president of corporate and government affairs for PPG Industries, argues on the “Congress Blog” inThe Hill(1/12) that “there has never been a better time” for lawmakers “to leverage the current revival in U.S. manufacturing.” He cites a NAM finding that the sector accounts for over 17 million good-paying American jobs and contributes over $2 trillion to GDP, or 12.5%. Iams credits “affordable energy” and “competitive labor costs” for current successes, but he calls for “the help of our elected officials to continue this momentum.” Congress’ focus, he says, should be on: making the US tax system “more competitive” and aimed at spurring innovation, investment, job creation, and growth; “enhancing” education through increased STEM instruction “to address the ongoing skills gap and build the 21st-century workforce that manufacturers need”; streamlining immigration procedures so that “talented” foreign workers can remain in the US “without displacing” American employees; and creating an environment in which “regulation isn’t a hindrance to growth.”

Bryan Iams, vice president of corporate and government affairs for PPG Industries, argues on the “Congress Blog” inThe Hill(1/12) that “there has never been a better time” for lawmakers “to leverage the current revival in U.S. manufacturing.” He cites a NAM finding that the sector accounts for over 17 million good-paying American jobs and contributes over $2 trillion to GDP, or 12.5%. Iams credits “affordable energy” and “competitive labor costs” for current successes, but he calls for “the help of our elected officials to continue this momentum.” Congress’ focus, he says, should be on: making the US tax system “more competitive” and aimed at spurring innovation, investment, job creation, and growth; “enhancing” education through increased STEM instruction “to address the ongoing skills gap and build the 21st-century workforce that manufacturers need”; streamlining immigration procedures so that “talented” foreign workers can remain in the US “without displacing” American employees; and creating an environment in which “regulation isn’t a hindrance to growth.”