By Gary Kane  

A group of Democrats in the U.S. Senate are attempting to rally bipartisan support for a legislative umbrella containing dozens of bills designed to strengthen the manufacturing sector and create jobs in the industry.  

Called the Manufacturing Jobs for America Initiative, the effort packages 40 bills, ranging from the Skills Gap Strategy Act to the Make It in America Tax Credit Act. Several of the proposed bills already have bipartisan support, said Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, who stressed the urgency of passing the measure.

"There are too many Americans still looking for work for Congress to continue to waste time lurching from crisis to crisis," he said in a statement. "Manufacturing can power our economic recovery, but Congress needs to do its part to see that potential realized."

The proposed bills were submitted by more than a dozen senators from around the country and focus on four themes:

• Strengthening the manufacturing workforce;
• Opening markets in other countries;
• Encouraging growth of the manufacturing sector;
• Expanding access to capital.