The new legislative session opened Monday, March 9th, and throughout this full session we’ll see a wide variety of bills meant to grow industry in Washington and provide trade education to Washington youth and adults. The Center of Excellence will track those bills in regular blog posts here.
Earlier this week COE Executive Director Jason Petrait met with legislators and aides in Olympia to share the priorities of the Aerospace Futures Alliance, industry and partner organizations. The opportunity to advocate on behalf of students and industry to grow aerospace and advanced manufacturing was an honor. We look forward to continuing that work both in this session and in the future.
Like last year, we at the Center of Excellence will track bills related to community and technical colleges, aviation and aerospace, apprenticeship, and the K-12 pipeline into the trades. Here are three of the many bills we’re tracking this year. Look for more regular blog posts in the coming weeks, and get in touch if you have a bill we should follow:
HB 1040 Last activity was a public hearing January 11th
HB 1040 requires the Director of the Department of Commerce to appoint and maintain an aviation and aerospace advisory committee to advise the Director of the Department of Commerce and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation on matters related to aviation and aerospace.
Topics the committee will take on include emerging technology, federal regulations, funding, greenhouse gasses, workforce, and advanced air mobility infrastructure. The bill requires the committee to be made up of, among others, representatives from aviation and aerospace educational programs and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. The output of the committee will include recommendations to inform the legislature on aviation and aerospace issues.
Over the past year, Executive Director Jason Petrait has provided input on workforce issues to the State Department of Commerce in relation to this committee.
HB 1013 is in Committee
The bill directs Educational Service Districts and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to jointly establish a regional apprenticeship pilot program with one site each in Eastern and Western Washington. The bill requires convening local stakeholders to identify the occupations to train in.
SB 5269 Most recent activity was a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Business, Financial Services, Gaming & Trade on January 19th.
SB 5269 directs the Department of Commerce to oversee an independent assessment of opportunities to capture new and emerging industries and strengthen its existing manufacturing base, as well as directing Commerce to appoint an industrial policy advisor.
The bill requires reports in 2024 that assess the transition to net zero emissions by 2050, the identification of requirements to attract new industrial investment and must include the identification of opportunities to build and maximize environmental and economic benefits of a circular economy in new and existing industries. The bill will not replace but may inform the Manufacturing Council.