In a press release earlier this week, Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA) revealed four pieces of legislation she supports that make up her new Supply Chain Solutions Agenda.
Rep. Axne says “long-overdue” headway has been made in infrastructure and workforce investments, but more work needs to be done.
While the supply chain disruptions continue across the nation Rep. Axne says, “infrastructure and workforce investments would be best served if Congress also considered other commonsense, bipartisan solutions to update trade and shipping policies, promote domestic manufacturing, support Iowa’s exports, and ease the burdens on Iowa’s businesses and families.”
Included in the Supply Chain Solutions agenda are four bipartisan bills:
1. Ocean Shipping Reform Act acknowledges port congestion and protecting Iowa agriculture by prohibiting ocean carriers from declining to pick up U.S. exports on return journeys to trade partners.
2. Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) Act addresses the driver shortage in the trucking and logistics industry by establishing an apprenticeship program that would allow for the legal operation of a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce by commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders under the age of 21.
a. Iowa and 48 other states issue CDLs for drivers over the age of 18, but federal law currently prohibits operators from moving goods across state lines until they are 21.
3. Manufacturing American Dynamism in Entrepreneurship and Harnessing Education to Retool Employees (MADE HERE) Act promotes a skilled workforce by bringing together educational institutions, private companies, nonprofits, labor groups, and government-funded resources to solve pressing issues in manufacturing.
4. Critical Supply Chain Commission Act would establish a nonpartisan commission of experts tasked with studying the U.S. critical supply chain, identifying its vulnerabilities, predicting future supply-chain disruptions, and guiding Congress on how to meet critical supply chain needs domestically and mitigate dependencies on foreign powers.
Rep. Axne, who had considered running for Iowa governor, shared today she intends to run for re-election as a congresswoman in Iowa’s new 3rd District in 2022.
