An Act creating the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Council and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. New Jersey has a rich history of manufacturing various products, including: food, pharmaceuticals, apparel, chemicals, and glass throughout all regions of New Jersey.

b. Traditional manufacturing has been on the decline in New Jersey for the past 50 years, due to an increase in the availability of inexpensive transportation connecting all areas of the nation and the world. The lower expense of transporting products allowed goods to be made in a location geographically removed from where the products would be sold and consumed. Manufacturers moved their production facilities to locations outside of New Jersey that provided unskilled labor at a lower cost. The movement of these large facilities decreased employment opportunities in the manufacturing industry in New Jersey and decreased the contribution of manufacturing to the State's economic growth.

c. However, New Jersey can compete in manufacturing, particularly in advanced manufacturing, which can capitalize on the already existing, innovative, manufacturing base, comprised of tens of thousands of small and mid-sized facilities throughout New Jersey.

d. Advanced manufacturing is an emergent industry in New Jersey and nationally, and is primarily composed of four groups: chemical manufacturing, computer and electronic product manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and transportation equipment manufacturing.

e. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology defines advanced manufacturing as a "family of activities that (a) depend on the use and coordination of information, automation, computation, software, sensing, and networking, and/or (b) make use of cutting edge materials and emerging capabilities enabled by the physical and biological sciences, for example nanotechnology, chemistry, and biology. It involves both new ways to manufacture existing products, and the manufacture of new products emerging from new advanced technologies."

f. New Jersey has the unique characteristics of central geographic location, thriving ports and transportation centers, and an educated workforce that can be utilized to encourage and energize the advanced manufacturing industry in this State.

g. The advanced manufacturing industry contributed over $17 billion to New Jersey's Gross Domestic Product in 2009, or about 3.6 percent of all State output, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

h. To facilitate the growth of advanced manufacturing in New Jersey, a coalition of business, education and labor must commit to coordinating the development of technologically advanced skills in our education systems to create the labor force necessary for this occupation and industry.

2. a. There is created, in the New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, established pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1989, c.293 (C.34:15C-2), a council which shall be known as the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Council.

b. The council shall consist of 11 members who are individuals with experience in the fields of labor, education, or workforce development or training. The 11 members shall be appointed by the Governor as follows: two members shall be recommended by the Senate President; two members shall be recommended by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member shall be recommended by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one member shall be recommended by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and, five members shall be recommended by the Governor. The members shall serve for terms of five years, except that of seven of the members first appointed by the Governor, four members shall serve for three year terms, and three members shall serve for four year terms. Each member shall hold office for the term of appointment and until a successor is appointed and qualified. A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring in the membership of the council for any reason other than the expiration of the term shall have a term of appointment for the unexpired term only. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A member may be appointed for any number of successive terms. Any member appointed may be removed from the council by the appointing authority, as the case may be, for cause, after a hearing and may be suspended by the appointing authority pending the completion of the hearing.

c. Members of the council shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members. Action may be taken and motions and resolutions may be adopted by the council at a council meeting by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members. The council shall elect from its members a chairperson. Advanced notification for, and copies of the minutes of, each meeting of the council shall be filed with the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the General Assembly.

3. The Council shall:

a. convene and enable industry-led, private-public partnerships focused on engaging New Jersey institutions of higher education in manufacturing innovation;

b. design and implement an advanced manufacturing initiative to facilitate collaboration and information sharing across State departments and agencies;

c. assist private companies to enhance technological transfer in New Jersey manufacturing industries to help companies overcome technical obstacles to scaling up production of new technologies; and

d. submit an annual report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Employment and Training Commission, of its assessments and recommendations to enhance State policy related to the advanced manufacturing industry in New Jersey.

4. The council is authorized to:

a. hold public hearings;

b. employ staff, responsible to the Executive Director of the State Employment and Training Commission, to assist the council to implement the purposes of this act; and

c. avail itself of the services of the employees and have access to the records of any instrumentality of the State, as necessary or useful to implement the purposes of this act.

5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill creates the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Council to convene and enable industry-led, private-public partnerships focused on engaging New Jersey institutions of higher education in manufacturing innovation.

Traditional manufacturing has been on the decline in New Jersey since the 1960s, but advanced manufacturing is an emerging industry that is primarily composed of four groups: chemical manufacturing, computer and electronic product manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and transportation equipment manufacturing. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology defines advanced manufacturing as a "family of activities that (a) depend on the use and coordination of information, automation, computation, software, sensing, and networking, and/or (b) make use of cutting edge materials and emerging capabilities enabled by the physical and biological sciences, for example nanotechnology, chemistry, and biology. It involves both new ways to manufacture existing products, and the manufacture of new products emerging from new advanced technologies."

New Jersey's advanced manufacturing industry is already part of the economic recovery of New Jersey, contributing more than $17 billion to New Jersey's Gross Domestic Product in 2009, or about 3.6 percent of all State output, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The council will act as a conduit to assist in developing a workforce in New Jersey that is trained in the high technology industry sectors needed by advanced manufacturers. This will provide a stable workforce for the manufacturers and will assist this vital industry in New Jersey to grow and prosper.