Kelly-Cruz law to expedite semiconductor projects will unlock tens of thousands of Texas jobs, billions in new investments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released the following statement after bipartisan legislation he authored with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) to dramatically expedite semiconductor manufacturing plant construction was signed into law. The Kelly-Cruz bill removes burdensome hurdles to achieving environmental reviews and permits for microchip projects, helps lower compliance costs for chip manufacturers, and dramatically speeds up construction timelines for current and future projects in Texas and across the country.  

Upon signing, Sen. Cruz said:

“The Kelly-Cruz bipartisan legislation is a major win for Texas. It will speed up the building of new semiconductor projects nationwide, unlock tens of thousands of good-paying jobs in Texas, and bring with billions in new investments to our state’s thriving economy. I am grateful to my Democratic colleague Mark Kelly for his partnership in this effort and to the broad, bipartisan coalition of lawmakers that came together to deliver this tremendous victory so we can start onshoring both high-paying jobs and a critical national security sector.”

In October 2023, during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the importance of a strong U.S. chip manufacturing industry, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo highlighted how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other permitting laws could significantly delay the implementation of CHIPS funding. She urged Congress to pass Sens. Cruz and Kelly’s legislation.

In December of last year, the Senate unanimously passed Sens. Cruz and Kelly’s bipartisan chips permitting bill, which was cosponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). This legislation had also previously passed the Senate in July of 2023 as part of the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

In January, Sen. Cruz toured the Samsung facility in Taylor, Texas and reiterated the importance of his CHIPS/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) legislation. Sen. Cruz also hosted a roundtable event in Round Rock, Texas, to discuss regulatory hurdles facing the semiconductor industry.

In April, Sen. Cruz discussed the need for chips permitting reform at a roundtable discussion hosted by Southern Methodist University after the university had been designated the lead agency for this federally funded economic development initiative, aimed at bolstering semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. 

Background on Sen. Cruz’s efforts to encourage American innovation through Chips manufacturing: 

• During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on ‘CHIPS and Science Implementation and Oversight,’ Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo endorsed Sens. Cruz and Mark Kelly’s (D-AZ) CHIPS/NEPA proposal.
• Sen. Cruz helped enact historic tax reform in 2017, which gave a tax cut to virtually every taxpayer in America. It reduced taxes on small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and job producers, which has helped bring jobs to Texas and drive innovation. 
• Sen. Cruz has been leading the fight against burdensome federal government regulations and EPA overreach. 
• For his efforts to support Texas innovators large and small, Sen. Cruz received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious “Spirit of Enterprise” award. 
• Sen. Cruz authored the Cost Recovery and Expensing Acceleration to Transform the Economy and Jumpstart Opportunities for Businesses and Startups (CREATE JOBS) Act, which would vitally reform business expensing in the tax code and help businesses and innovators thrive. 
• Sen. Cruz championed the Facilitating American-Built Semiconductors (FABS) Act to incentivize manufacturing in the U.S. through tax credits. That legislation is now law. 

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