16 The PCB Magazine • October 2014
UP, UP AND AWAY continues
item for which the board is designed is a USML
item. This action provides a clearer standard for
contractors who design, manufacture or source
PCBs for military use. To learn more about the
final rule, visit www.ipc.org/export-controls.
• On September 16, 2014, the U.S. House
of Representatives passed the Revitalize Ameri-
can Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act
with an impressive number of 100 co-sponsors,
50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Also a top
policy priority for IPC, RAMI provides an op-
portunity to grow advanced manufacturing in
the United States through federal investment.
The U.S. Senate is considering its version of the
RAMI Act, introduced by Sens. Sharrod Brown
(D-OH) and Roy Blunt (R-MO). If enacted into
law, the RAMI Act will establish a National Net-
work for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).
The bill has passed the Senate Commerce Com-
mittee and is awaiting a floor vote, with the
hope that the Senate will pass its version before
Congress adjourns this year. To note, there are
already four NNMIs in existence and the RAMI
Act would add others. To that end, there is an
active Request for Information (RFI) to industry
by the DoD relative to the next NNMI selec
-
tions. The purpose of the RFI is to solicit input
from industry and academia that the DoD will
consider as part of an effort to select and scope
the technology focus area for future NNMI
centers known as Institutes for Manufactur-
ing Innovation (IMIs). The DoD is requesting
responses that will assist in the selection of a
technology focus area from those currently un-
der construction, based upon evidence of na-
tional security requirement, economic benefit,
technical opportunity, relevance to industry,
figure 1: in June, iPC executives met with President obama's senior advisor on manufacturing policy to
offer support for the nnmi.
