H.R. 4932 — National Manufacturing Advisory Council for the 21st Century Act

This section establishes the National Manufacturing Advisory Council within the Department of Commerce, not later than 180 days after enactment, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor, Defense, Energy, and Education and the United States Trade Representative. The council's mission is to (1) provide a forum for communication between the federal government and the U.S. manufacturing sector (including workers) and propose solutions to sector problems such as workforce issues, supply chain interruptions, and logistical challenges; (2) advise the Secretary of Commerce on federal policies and programs affecting U.S. manufacturing; and (3) annually produce a national strategic plan with recommendations to the Secretary and specified congressional committees on maintaining U.S. manufacturing leadership. Council duties include (1) meeting at least every 180 days to advise the Secretary on manufacturing competitiveness factors (e.g., technology, skills, investments, defense needs); (2) assessing federal program responsiveness to manufacturing trends via public, private, and academic input; (3) identifying global/domestic threats such as supply chain issues; (4) advising on manufacturing workforce matters, including worker participation in technology deployment, training priorities, impacts of new technologies, management practices promoting job quality and equity, and access to education/training/retraining (e.g., via community colleges, apprenticeships); and (5) recommending ways to provide and connect individuals/businesses to manufacturing-related worker education, training, development, and entrepreneurship programs.