Texans value manufacturing
Jan. 31, 2012

Manufacturing received considerable attention in the president's State of the Union address, and rightly so. The manufacturing sector is absolutely vital to a strong American economy. As the largest exporter of manufactured goods in the U.S., Texas is a pivotal part of the engine that will propel our country's economic recovery.

To ensure manufacturers in Texas and across the U.S. are able to deliver the nation into an enhanced and sustained economic recovery, policy must match the rhetoric.

It is imperative that we have access to reliable, affordable energy, a ready workforce with skilled workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and smart incentives to fuel American innovation, research and development. Leaders here in Texas clearly get it.

House Speaker Joe Straus made manufacturing a priority in the interim charges lawmakers will consider this year.

We can only hope that the federal government follows Texas' lead.

Fred Shannon, chairman, Texas Association of Manufacturers, Austin