Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1512467
DECEMBER 2023 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 41 Rich, do you have insight into the PCB bill currently under development in the U.S. Congress? Rich Cappetto: Yes, there are currently eight members of Congress supporting the bill in the House. In addition to the Republican pri- mary sponsor, there are seven co-sponsors: six Democratic and one Republican. Our efforts, along with coalition partners, are focused on increasing the support for that bill and trying to even out the sponsorship to be more bipar- tisan, and then securing a Senate introduction of the bill as well. Passing any legislation, espe- cially in this hyper-partisan environment, is a herculean effort. Our strategy is to get it intro- duced in both houses and build support. If a larger effort comes along, whether it's a tax bill or a trade bill to boost U.S. competitiveness, and we have enough support there, we'll fight to get tacked on. Basically, it's old-fashioned shoe leather advocacy, going up on the Hill to meet with as many members of Congress as possible to educate them about the topic and build their interest in the legislation. In my conversations about the PCB bill, there is some concern about fatigue on the Hill for this kind of legislation. What other alternatives for participating with government activity should PCB suppliers be made aware of? Mitchell: We see several opportunities. First, there are other opportunities within the Defense Department. Earlier this year, there was a presidential determination issued on PCBs and advanced packaging. Because the Defense Department is so acutely aware of the challenge we have in domestic sourcing of PCBs, especially PCBs for the most cut- ting-edge semiconductor chips, they have a real desire to address those issues. at's what leads to announcements like the recent one about DoD investment in the Calumet Elec- tronics project. Beyond that, we are not giving up on oppor- tunities related to the CHIPS Act. In the end, you will see potential opportunities in two forms: opportunities related to the subsidy program, and a R&D strategy from NIST. On the first, we would like to see incentive grants made available for PCBs, especially those higher-end UHDI PCBs. Second, NIST will release its strategy this fall for chips R&D. at offers another potential set of opportunities for the EMS provider and PCB industries because NIST, in particular, has understood the connection between the success of the semiconductor industry and the success of the wider electronics ecosystem. It's also a matter of looking broadly to see the opportunities where they exist. Just this week, John Mitchell was in Washington, D.C., for the signing ceremony for two new IPC apprentice- ship programs that will create opportunities for companies across the country to tap fed- eral, state, and local funding in order to sup- port their own workforce development initia- tives. Why is this important? Because we hear from companies across the country that work- force development and retention is their big- gest challenge. rough better training and greater clarity around career paths, there's a Rich Cappetto