Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) coasted into office a few years ago when his father essentially passed his seat down to him, but the legislator isn’t coasting these days; he’s driving a bill that could mean good things for the metalcasting industry.

A classic Chicago democrat and reported ally of President Obama, Lipinski introduced a bill last week that he says would strengthen the Buy American Act of 1933.

“While maintaining exceptions for cases when domestic alternatives do not exist or are excessively costly, this legislation will eliminate gaping loopholes and add rigorous disclosure requirements to prevent the unnecessary purchase of foreign goods,” Lipinski wrote in an article that appeared on TheHill.com.

The bill is aimed at making those pesky waivers to buy foreign products (read Alfred Spada’s discussion of them in the editorial “Buy Foreign Because It’s Easier”) more difficult for contractors to receive and more public by posting the requests online.

Not only could this bill potentially bring more business to American metalcasters, but it seems that the plight of the metalcasting industry may have even been on Lipinski’s mind when he helped create the new legislation.

“We can’t afford to repeat the errors made with the stimulus bill, which has helped Chinese companies to build turbines for a wind-farm in Texas and paid for Canadian man-hole covers while American foundries lay off workers,” Lipinski wrote.