Electronics Manufacturing Industry Calls on Congress to Pass New COVID Recovery Bill with Pro-Industrial-Base Provisions

IPC, the global electronics manufacturing association, is calling on the U.S. Congress to enact a COVID-19 recovery bill and include provisions of importance to everyone who depends on electronics.

In a letter to the top four leaders in Congress, IPC stresses that electronics are at the heart of the modern economy and key sectors, including urgently needed medical equipment, critical infrastructure, and defense systems. “Yet, the crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in our manufacturing base,” the letter adds.

The association urges Congress to support the nation’s industrial resiliency by passing a Recovery Package with the following measures:

• Modified unemployment insurance benefit to continue essential support for laid-off workers, helping to maintain consumer demand while reducing disincentives to return to work.
• Common-sense liability protections shielding businesses that have taken “reasonable steps” to comply with government workplace safety guidelines.
• Paycheck Protection Program extension and the Safe and Healthy Workplace tax credit. 
• Supplementary funding to sustain and rebuild the defense industrial base.
• Aid to state and local governments to ensure essential services are maintained.

The timing and scope of the legislation are still being worked out, but a package is expected to be negotiated and voted upon soon.