Legislation soon to be introduced in the state House of Representatives would make it easier for consumers to find and purchase Pennsylvania-made products.
The bill would instruct the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to create a Made in PA program that would complement the Pennsylvania Preferred program.
The new Made in PA program would include a business-to-business component that will help Pennsylvania manufacturers connect with Pennsylvania suppliers. It also would have a publicly-searchable website, make use of a Made in PA logo, and conduct marketing.
“Every day, more than 570,000 Pennsylvanians go to work manufacturing products in this state, and millions more Pennsylvanians go to work moving, storing, and selling these products,” state Rep. Perry Warren (D- Bucks County) said in a memo on Tuesday seeking co-sponsors. “We should do everything we can to support these workers and help grow additional manufacturing jobs, and an easy way to do that is to encourage Pennsylvanians to buy Pennsylvania-made products.”
Made in PA has the support of both unions and employer groups, Warren said.
Also Tuesday, Warren sought co-sponsors for legislation that would prohibit state and local contracts with private prison facilities and corporations. Currently, these companies have little or no incentive to rehabilitate incarcerated people.