NEW WINDSOR – US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand Tuesday unveiled her “Made In America” Block Grant Program Act before a host of public officials and business leaders.

The senator’s plan would establish a competitive grant program to provide small- and medium-sized manufacturers in areas of high unemployment with new resources and strategies to retool their operations and retrain their workforces for new technologies like clean energy, computer technology and aerospace and biotechnology.

She is also backing the Security in Energy and Manufacturing Act that would help cut costs on domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology by providing companies a tax credit and grants in lieu of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit.

And, she would encourage private investment in manufacturing communities by promoting the Markets Tax Credit Extension Act that would extend the New Markets Tax Credit program. That provides a 39 percent tax credit for community development entities to help leverage additional private investments into local businesses.

The initiatives “will help Orange County and New York State’s efforts to attract and retain high tech businesses,” said Orange County Executive Edward Diana.

Orange County Chamber of Commerce President John D’Ambrosio said the proposals “will revitalize manufacturing.”

Gillibrand’s plan “will help leverage private investment with competitive grants to help grow our clean-tech and high tech manufacturing sector,” said Michael Oates, president of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation.

Her proposals “will enhance New York State’s comparative advantages as we strive to be a world class competitor in early stage innovation and nimble technologies,” said Michael DiTullo, managing director of the Orange County business Accelerator.