Contributed File Photo: Tim Wilson, a manufacturing instructor at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) West-MEC campus, shows Kelly a robotic arm in one of the EMCC classrooms. Kelly previously toured their manufacturing laboratories where students learn the skills they need to fill the high-paying microchip jobs.
Kelly was a chief negotiator of the CHIPS Act of 2022 which will grow Arizona’s domestic semiconductor industry, lower costs, create high-paying Arizona jobs
Contributed Article
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, after championing this legislation for over a year, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s landmark microchip manufacturing bill, the CHIPS Act of 2022, was signed into law. The bipartisan legislation will expand microchip manufacturing in Arizona, create tens of thousands of high-paying Arizona jobs, lower costs, and strengthen national security.
“After over a year of hard work, our landmark microchip manufacturing bill is now law. Our legislation will play a critical role in boosting Arizona’s position as a leader in microchip manufacturing. And thanks to our bill, Arizonans will see thousands of high-paying jobs, many of which will not require a four-year degree, stronger supply chains, lower costs, and a more competitive economy for the generations to come. Today is a win for Arizonans and our national security, and a big loss for China,” said Senator Mark Kelly, a chief negotiator of the Senate-passed CHIPS Act of 2022.
Arizona is home to one of the largest microchip industries in the country and is poised to grow with investment plans from Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Kelly recently hosted a roundtable discussion in Phoenix with semiconductor industry leaders and toured the construction site of a future fabrication plant that is expected to hire over 2,000 Arizona workers. Kelly also saw firsthand how Arizona’s community colleges are training workers for jobs in the semiconductor industry that are coming to Arizona, thanks to Kelly’s bill.
Kelly championed the three pieces of legislation that form the backbone of the Senate-passed CHIPS Act of 2022 – serving as a chief negotiator of the bill’s $52 billion plan to boost domestic microchip manufacturing, co-leading the introduction of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, and leading the FABS Act. This legislation will help establish Arizona as a global hub for microelectronics research, development, testing, manufacturing, and packaging. It will also incentivize companies to construct, expand, or modernize their microchip fabrication plants and processing equipment. The bill also includes four Kelly-led bills and historic investments in research and development which will help the United States out-innovate foreign adversaries, like China.
