Kelly, Colleagues Highlight Successful Passage of Chips Permitting Bill in Senate NDAA

Sen. Kelly introduced the Building Chips in America Act in early July with a bicameral, bipartisan group of legislators

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Todd Young (R-IN), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and Ted Budd (R-NC) highlighted the successful passage of their microchip manufacturing permitting reform bill, the Building Chips in America Act, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

The Building Chips in America Act was introduced earlier this month and added to the NDAA as Kelly Amendment 985. It will maximize the impact of the CHIPS and Science Act passed last year by streamlining federal reviews for chip manufacturing projects, while keeping environmental protections in place. This will prevent construction delays for projects in Arizona and across the country.  

For more details on Kelly Amendment 985, the Building Chips in America Act, click here. For the text of the amendment, click here. 

“By cutting through the red tape to prevent delays of microchip manufacturing projects, this is going to maximize the impact of the CHIPS Act to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains, and strengthen our national security. And it does that while maintaining bedrock environmental protections for clean air and water,” Kelly said. “We got this passed by working together as Republicans and Democrats to find common ground and get things done. And although there’s still a road ahead of us to get it passed in the House, I am confident that our strong bipartisan coalition will work hand-in-hand with our cosponsors in the House to get the Building Chips in America Act across the finish line.” 

“I am proud to have worked with Sen. Mark Kelly to help remove burdensome environmental permitting review hurdles for CHIP manufacturing plants. This language will help Texas, already the nation’s leading chip producer, continue to grow this burgeoning industry and bring more jobs to the Lone Star State while boosting America’s economic and national security,” said Cruz.  

“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. “I’m encouraged by the Senate’s vote to pass the Building Chips in America Act and will push for this legislation to be included in the final NDAA negotiated by the House and Senate.” 

“Producing semiconductors in America is essential to our economic and national security, and commonsense permitting reform is necessary to advance this important goal,” said Senator Hagerty. “I applaud the passage of the Building Chips in America Act, which will cut through bureaucratic red tape and accelerate our efforts to bring this critical industry back to the United States, and which dovetails nicely with the semiconductor permitting reform I authored and passed last year.” 

“Pausing the construction work at the Intel plant for years because of redundant federal reviews is unacceptable. We passed the CHIPS Act to make projects like this possible and we can’t allow them to get delayed – particularly not when we know our competitors don’t wait years for projects to get off the ground,” said Brown. “We’re working to keep thousands of union workers in the trades on the job in Licking County, and to promote domestic manufacturing, all over the state. We got this done for Ohio to help cut red tape and get there faster.” 

 “New Mexico has long been at the cutting edge of the semiconductor industry. With a culture of innovation and a diverse pool of talent, New Mexico is well-positioned to rapidly advance national goals for semiconductor innovation. This NDAA Amendment will be key to realizing the full potential of domestic semiconductor fabrication and I look forward to continuing the work to ensure New Mexico’s leadership in this industry,” said Heinrich.  

“Arizona leads the way in innovation. That is why we’re removing barriers to continue fueling microchips manufacturing – expanding opportunities here at home, lowering costs, and strengthening our national security,” said Senator Sinema. 

“Red tape should not get in the way of our efforts to secure our semiconductor supply chain. This common sense amendment will allow factories in the U.S. to start producing increasingly important semiconductors in America again. Thank you to Senator Kelly for leading this bipartisan effort to help create American jobs and help us continue to stay ahead of China in this strategic sector,” said Budd.  

“I would like to thank Senator Kelly and the bipartisan group of Senators that helped pass this critical legislation,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Specifically, Senator Kelly’s amendment will streamline the federal permitting process for advanced semiconductor facilities, ensuring projects in Arizona and across the country don’t face unnecessary delays or hurdles. I’m grateful to Senator Kelly for continuing to champion Arizona’s semiconductor industry and advanced economy.”