Senate Passes Young’s Bipartisan Chips Permitting Bill for the Second Time
Washington – Last night, the United States Senate unanimously passed the Building Chips in America Act, bipartisan legislation to streamline review requirements for semiconductor manufacturing projects to maximize the impact of the CHIPS and Science Act. This legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
“The CHIPS and Science Act included manufacturing incentives vital to increasing chip production here in the U.S., protecting our national security interests and boosting our economic security at the same time. However, as implementation proceeds, unnecessary regulatory burdens are threatening to slow down these critical investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and pause construction that has already begun,” said Senator Young. “The Building Chips in America Act will cut red tape and solidify our nation’s ability to successfully onshore chip production as quickly as possible. I’m pleased to see this important legislation pass the U.S. Senate once again as we continue to push to get it enacted.”
“Once again, the Senate made clear that streamlining our current permitting system for semiconductor manufacturing projects is an urgent, bipartisan priority,” said Senator Kelly. “ Now the House—where our bill enjoys broad support from Republicans and Democrats—has the chance to take up this bill to maximize the impact of the CHIPS Act, bringing microchip manufacturing and good-paying jobs back to America without delay.”
Background:
The senators first introducedthe Building Chips in America Act in July of 2023 alongside a group of bipartisan colleagues in the House. Later that month, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support as an amendment to the Senate-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In October, Senator Young joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter with 119 signers in support of passing these permitting reforms. However, this legislation was not included in the final version of the NDAA that passed through Congress this week.