Georgia Congresswoman backs bill to improve supply chains

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux and two House colleagues introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday aimed at improving the flow of goods and materials through supply chains.

The bill would create a federal Office of Supply Chain Resiliency and Crisis Response within the Department of Commerce, with $500 million in funding authorized for each of the next five years.

Key Terms
Supply Chain – The process a product flows through to get from the supplier to the customer.

“COVID-19 showed us all how critical resilient supply chains are for consumers and businesses,” said Bourdeaux, D-Suwanee. “All across my district, small business owners and manufacturers have told me about the challenges they face in accessing basic materials critical to their products. … My bill ensures we are better prepared to address these challenges.”

The new office would monitor the strength and resilience of supply chains in critical industries and encourage partnerships and collaboration between the federal government and industry, labor organizations, and state and local governments.

The office also would issue a report every four years recommending ways to improve the security and resiliency of supply chains and to support the creation of jobs through the growth of American manufacturing.

Bourdeaux’s cosponsors on the bill include Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Robin Kelly, D-Ill.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.