TAFT URGES FEDS TO FULLY FUND MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP (MEP) PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2005

Columbus, OH -- Governor Bob Taft has sent a letter to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget urging the office to fully fund the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) program at $109 million in President Bush’s fiscal year 2006 budget request. The MEP program, which had its budget cut by 62 percent in fiscal year 2004, assists small and midsize manufacturers in solving problems, increasing productivity and creating or retaining high-skilled American jobs. Nearly 50 other governors and U.S. Senators have also requested full funding for the program.

“This federal program stands alone in its singular focus on small manufacturers, an industry segment critical to our national economy and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Americans,” wrote Taft. “Not maintaining FY 2006 federal funding levels at the FY 2005 level will have a severely negative impact on hundreds of mostly small Ohio manufacturers.”

MEP is a nationwide network of not-for-profit centers in nearly 350 locations nationwide, providing small and medium sized manufacturers with the help they need to succeed. The centers, serving all 50 States and Puerto Rico, are linked together through the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. Centers are funded by federal, state, local and private resources to serve manufacturers, making it possible for firms to tap into the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing and business specialists who have had experience on manufacturing floors and in plant operations. The centers provide expertise and services on process improvements, worker training, business practices and applications of information technology.

More than 80 percent of manufacturing establishments in Ohio are classified as small to midsize manufacturers. In fiscal year 2003, the Ohio MEP program produced a total of $472,426,170 in estimated economic impact through cost savings, new and retained sales, private investment and increased salary income with Ohio’s manufacturers. The fiscal year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Act cut funding for the MEP to $39.6 million, closing 58 regional offices and reducing staffing by 15 percent. The MEP Program is the only federal program designed to provide assistance to small manufacturers.