Kelly’s Bipartisan Building Chips in America Act Signed into Law

Bipartisan legislation will prevent delays for microchip plant construction

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly’s bipartisan Building Chips in America Act, which will streamline federal permitting processes for microchip manufacturing projects while maintaining bedrock protections for clean air and clean water, was signed into law by President Biden. The enactment of Kelly’s bill will prevent unnecessary delays in the construction of microchip manufacturing facilities supported by the CHIPS and Science Act. 

Kelly first introduced the bill in July of 2023 alongside bipartisan colleagues in the Senate and the House. Later that month, the bill was attached as an amendment to the Senate’s version of the defense bill and passed the chamber, but it was not included in the final compromise version of the defense bill that passed Congress. In October, Kelly led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with 119 signers in support of passing these permitting reforms. The Senate then unanimously passed the bill again in December of 2023. The House finally passed it last week, with broad, bipartisan support, sending it to the president’s desk.  

“Getting this bill passed and signed into law took more than a year of bipartisan negotiation and work,” said Kelly. “The result is smart, effective policy that will maximize our efforts to bring microchip manufacturing back to America by preventing unnecessary delays to getting these factories built. That’s important to our economy, especially in Arizona where it means tens of thousands of great paying jobs, and it’s important to our national security, reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains for this critical technology.” 

For more details on Kelly’s Building Chips in America Act, click here. For the text of the bill, click here. 

This legislation was supported by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Todd Young (R-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) in the Senate and introduced by Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-2), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY-22), Rep. Collin Allred (D-TX-32), Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX-10).