Paving the Way for American Industry Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Paving the Way for American Industry Act narrows Buy America treatment for a specific road-marking input: yellow organic pigments used in water-based paints for road, highway, or airport surface markings. It amends the Build America, Buy America Act so covered yellow organic pigments are included in domestic-production requirements when all manufacturing processes from initial combination of materials through the chemical reaction that creates the synthesized pigment occur in the United States. The bill defines chemical reaction as a process that creates a molecule with a new structure by breaking or forming intramolecular bonds or changing the spatial arrangement of atoms. The rule applies to the pigments themselves beginning on enactment and to all road, highway, or airport surface-marking formulas containing those pigments beginning two years after enactment. OMB must update relevant guidance, including Made in America Office implementation guidance, within 90 days. The main effect is to push infrastructure paint supply chains toward domestic pigment synthesis rather than allowing imported synthesized pigment to satisfy Buy America.
Who Benefits and How
Domestic pigment manufacturers benefit because Buy America treatment favors yellow organic pigments synthesized in the United States. U.S. road-marking paint producers benefit if they source domestic pigments and can market compliant formulas for federally funded projects. Made in America Office staff benefit from a clear statutory rule for covered pigments. Domestic chemical workers benefit from potential demand for U.S.-based pigment synthesis.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Imported pigment suppliers bear the burden because foreign-synthesized yellow organic pigments become harder to use in covered projects. State transportation departments must ensure road, highway, and airport marking materials comply with the revised Buy America rule. Airport surface-marking contractors may need to verify pigment origin in water-based paints. OMB guidance staff must update implementation guidance within 90 days. Paint formulators using imported pigments get a two-year transition before formula-level requirements apply.
Key Provisions
- Requires domestic synthesis for yellow organic pigments used in water-based road, highway, or airport marking paints.
- Defines production to include all manufacturing processes through the chemical reaction creating the pigment.
- Applies immediately to covered pigments and after two years to formulas containing them.
- Directs OMB to update Made in America guidance within 90 days.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends Build America, Buy America implementation so yellow organic pigments used in water-based paints for road, highway, or airport surface markings count as produced in the United States only if all manufacturing processes from initial material combination through the chemical reaction that synthesizes the pigment occur in the United States, applies immediately to covered pigments and after two years to formulas containing them, and requires OMB to update Made in America guidance within 90 days.
Key Policy Areas
Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Buy America
Primary Purpose
Amends Build America, Buy America implementation so yellow organic pigments used in water-based paints for road, highway, or airport surface markings count as produced in the United States only if all manufacturing processes from initial material combination through the chemical reaction that synthesizes the pigment occur in the United States, applies immediately to covered pigments and after two years to formulas containing them, and requires OMB to update Made in America guidance within 90 days.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Domestic pigment manufacturers
- U.S. road-marking paint producers
- Made in America Office staff
- Domestic chemical workers
Identified Costs
- Imported pigment suppliers
- State transportation departments
- Airport surface-marking contractors
- OMB guidance staff
- Paint formulators using imported pigments
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Ms. Scholten (for herself and Mr. Barrett) introduced the following …
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Domestic chemical workers, Domestic pigment manufacturers, Imported pigment suppliers
Positive-direction: Domestic chemical workers, Domestic pigment manufacturers, U.S. road-marking paint producers
Negative-direction: Imported pigment suppliers
Made in America Office staff, OMB guidance staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology