H.R. 3597: Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act

H.R. 3597 works on two fronts. First, a tax credit: companies that buy printed circuit boards and integrated circuit substrates fabricated in the United States could claim 25% of the cost back, on anything paid or incurred after December 31, 2025. It folds into the general business credit, so it's claimed like other manufacturing incentives.

Second, a grant program run by the Commerce Department. It authorizes $3 billion for fiscal year 2026 — money that stays available all the way through 2065 — to help companies build, expand, or modernize U.S. board and substrate facilities, fund research, and train workers. Any single project is capped at $300 million unless the President notifies Congress that a larger award is needed for national security or economic competitiveness.

The program comes with strings. Applicants generally have to show a workable plan, commitments to worker and community investment, and partnerships with training providers — though small businesses are exempt from the workforce and education requirements. Foreign entities of concern are barred outright, and no program funds can go to them.

Accountability runs through the back end. Commerce must set start and completion dates for each project, and missing them triggers progressive clawbacks. If a recipient knowingly enters joint research or technology licensing with a foreign entity of concern on national-security-relevant technology, the Secretary can recover the full award. Any delay waiver has to be reported to Congress within 15 days, and the Government Accountability Office reviews the program two years after the first award, then every two years for a decade.