Litzow, Maxwell Satisfied With Progress Made in Olympia Special Session

Sen. Steve Litzow and Rep. Marcie Maxwell both celebrated the passage of two aerospace education bills they co-sponsored earlier this month, as well the overall progress made during the special session.         

The bipartisan funding package supporting STEM skills – science, technology, engineering and math – passed the House and Senate with an overwhelming majority, including unanimous support in the Senate, as the Legislature adjourned for the year. 

"I was pleased to sponsor these bills to prepare teachers in both elementary and secondary schools to improve teaching and content in STEM learning," wrote Maxwell on her Facebook page. "And to introduce and teach students the skills needed for current and future careers in innovation and manufacturing." 

“One of the aerospace industry’s biggest concerns is that we have trained employees that they can hire,” said Litzow.

He also noted that passage of the measure was the first step toward making sure Washington students are the ones hired for these jobs. Litzow was optimistic that the Legislature’s upcoming regular session will benefit from the discussions that took place during the special session.

“The special session as a whole was productive, giving us a head start on some complex issues that we’ll be addressing when we arrive back in Olympia in January. Without having worked through some of these major issues now, we would have lost out on more ideas, time and opportunities to fundamentally change the course of where our state is heading.”  

Gov. Gregoire is expected to sign the bills relating to aerospace education and the operating budget into law on Dec. 20.