April 7, 2023 3:00 a.m.

On Thursday, the Oregon House passed Oregon CHIPS, also known as Senate Bill 4, with bipartisan support.

A release from the Office of the House Speaker said Oregon CHIPS strategically invests $210 million to bolster Oregon’s semiconductor industry.

The vote came a day after U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo praised Oregon’s work on Oregon CHIPS at a roundtable visit with Senator Ron Wyden, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Governor Tina Kotek and other officials, along with tech industry executives.

The release said Oregon CHIPS investments include $190 million to support applications by Oregon businesses as they compete for the state’s share of $52 billion in federal investments made available through the CHIPS and Science Act.

Oregon CHIPS invests $10 million to support local communities as they work to prepare sites for industrial development related to the semiconductor industry. During a series of public hearings at the beginning of the legislative session, the Joint Committee on Semiconductors heard from cities across Oregon who said they had identified lands with good potential for manufacturing development and needed help getting that land shovel-ready.

The legislation also invests $10 million to help public universities to leverage federal research grants.

The release said Oregon is among the first states in the nation to advance legislation to seize on the competitive dollars made available by the federal CHIPS and Science Act.

The bill passed 44-10. Having already passed the Senate, the legislation now heads to the Governor’s desk for her signature