Semiconductor Industry Recognizes Senators Kelly Ayotte and Ron Wyden, Congressmen Pete Sessions and Scott Peters with Congressional Leadership Awards

by Semiconductor Industry Association

LEGISLATORS ACKNOWLEDGED FOR ADVANCING POLICIES THAT PROMOTE TRADE, INNOVATION

WASHINGTON—June 22, 2016—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced the recipients of SIA’s Congressional Leadership Awards: Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Congressman Scott Peters (D-Calif.). SIA presents the Congressional Leadership Award in recognition of efforts to support policies that are vital to sustaining a strong and vibrant semiconductor industry in the U.S.

“We salute Senators Ayotte and Wyden and Congressmen Sessions and Peters for their determined efforts to promote growth and innovation in the semiconductor industry, the tech sector, and the U.S. economy,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “We especially appreciate the award winners’ work to promote free and open trade, which is critical to our industry and America’s economic strength, and to make permanent the R&D tax credit, which will allow U.S. businesses to plan critical research investments for years to come. We urge Congress to follow their lead and enact policies that strengthen America’s technology leadership in the world.”

Senator Wyden co-sponsored Trade Promotion Authority legislation that Congress approved last year, paving the way for streamlined congressional consideration of free trade agreements. He also helped secure a permanent R&D credit and has served as a long-time champion for semiconductor industry priorities, including legislation approved in 2013 to secure the supply of helium.

Senator Ayotte is a lead sponsor of legislation that would foster development of the Internet of Things, a burgeoning network of physical objects connected by the Internet. She has also supported pro-growth tax policies, including a permanent extension of the R&D tax credit, as well as measures that would promote free and open trade.

Congressman Sessions is a founding co-chair of the Congressional Semiconductor Caucus, which provides a venue for Members of Congress and industry professionals to work collaboratively to preserve and strengthen the U.S. semiconductor industry. He has also supported a range of initiatives to strengthen U.S. technology leadership, including pro-trade legislation and legislation to make the R&D credit permanent.

Congressman Peters has taken action in support of a range of tech priorities, including free trade legislation and a permanent extension of the R&D credit. Along with the other award winners, he also supported legislation to reform federal chemicals law, which strengthens the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate, prioritize, and take action on chemicals that pose risks to health and the environment, while providing industry with increased assurance in their selection of chemicals.

About SIA

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry, one of America’s top export industries and a key driver of America’s economic strength, national security, and global competitiveness. Semiconductors – microchips that control all modern electronics – enable the systems and products we use to work, communicate, travel, entertain, harness energy, treat illness, and make new scientific discoveries. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. In 2015, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $166 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible. SIA seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership of semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research by working with Congress, the Administration and other key industry stakeholders to encourage policies and regulations that fuel innovation, propel business and drive international competition. Learn more at www.semiconductors.org.