Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522641
50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 reports and government and industry speakers at bimonthly meetings. Why is it important for industry members and business owners to be involved right now? It is a critical time for the entire microelec- tronics industry. Congress passed legislation that recognized the need to support one-third of the technologies needed to make America more competitive on the world stage. We must fight for recognition in the swirl of competing interests in Washington. Without support for PCBs and substrates, our national investment in semiconductors is at risk. What most offi- cials in Washington still don't understand is that even with new fabs cranking out chips in a few years, we can't match that output here. Most of those new chips will get shipped to Asia. It doesn't make sense from a national or economic security perspective to fail to invest in our industry now. What do you hope to accomplish specifically as a leader of PCBAA? ere are three main goals I'm focused on as I begin this role. First is the obvious need to expand our mem- bership. In addition to manufacturers, assem- blers, and materials providers, I would also like to see us attract our non-defense OEMs that build into critical infrastructure. H.R.3249 would be a bottom-line advantage for them to buy American-made PCBs, and it would be powerful to add their significant influence to our efforts. Second, in addition to gaining co-spon- sors for H.R.3249, we need a Senate compan- ion bill. With the election season looming, we likely won't see more action until 2025, but we continue to meet with members of the House and Senate to gain their support. ird, we need to expand our outreach through a whole-of-government approach. We have the attention of decision-makers at the Pentagon and have seen funding flowing through the Defense Production Act. While the defense market is important to many of our member companies, including my own, every critical industry vertical relies on electronics to function. Just as we need trusted, secure, and reliable sources of PCBs and substrates for defense applications, the same goes for bank- ing, medical devices, telecommunications, the power grid, air traffic control, and others. PCB007 Note: Travis Kelly has been submitting a monthly column for PCBBA, which will now be written by Shane Whiteside. To read past columns, click here.