COLUMBIA, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine applauded Congress for passing the bipartisan CHIPS for America Act, a long-awaited $280 billion legislative package focused on boosting semiconductor production in the U.S. that paves the way for Intel’s planned chip manufacturing plant in Licking County.
“This $52 billion investment to domestically produce semiconductor chips on American soil will strengthen our national security, help fuel economic growth, and turn Ohio into a nationwide semiconductor powerhouse,” DeWine said in a statement after the bill passed the U.S. House. “As Intel begins construction in Licking County to bring its most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities to our state, Ohio is on its way to becoming an indispensable player in the semiconductor industry.”
The legislative package passed the House with a vote of 243-187, which was closer than had been anticipated by leadership in Congress.
RELATED: Congress passes bill that promises to boost semiconductor production in the US
“I applaud members of Congress, particularly all the members of the Ohio delegation, for their bipartisan support of the CHIPS for America Act and for their dedication to positioning Ohio to become our nation’s leader in semiconductor production,” DeWine said.
It now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden to be signed into law. It is expected to inject nearly $300 billion into the American manufacturing industry and boost scientific research.
In January, Intel announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Licking County but delayed groundbreaking on the facility until after the CHIPS Act passed Congress.
RELATED:Intel delays Ohio plant groundbreaking due to uncertainty of Congress passing CHIPS Act
Intel is spending $20 billion to create the microchip factory site in Licking County, a 20-minute drive from downtown Columbus. With the CHIPS Act, Intel said they would bump up their $20 billion to $100 billion.
The initial $20 billion would create 10,000 jobs. About 3,000 of those jobs are direct Intel jobs with an average salary of $135,000. The other 7,000 are construction jobs over the course of the build. But Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted say tens of thousands of jobs will be created indirectly from the site.
RELATED: Ohio gets one step closer to creating thousands of jobs, making billions thanks to CHIPS Act
“The current supply-chain shortages have taught us that the United States must end its reliance on foreign-made necessities, including the semiconductor chips that power today’s electronic world,” DeWine said Thursday. “With semiconductor chips made in Ohio by Ohioans, we’ll add tens of thousands of new direct and indirect jobs, and when other companies are looking to grow, they’ll look to Ohio because there is no better place to live, work, and raise a family.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the following statement:
“Earlier this month, I led a bipartisan group of 14 state attorneys general calling on Congress to arm our nation with microchips which we rely on for almost all modern day products. Today, Congress has heeded our call to increase the domestic production of microchips.
Not only is this great for the nation, Ohio, which is a producer of microchips, will be able to be more competitive as the nation shies away from foreign reliance.”
Watch last week's report on the bill passing the Senate below:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
