Senators Derek Kilmer and Jim Kastama held a press conference today to give an update on their legislative priorities, citing a number of bills that survived today's policy cutoff deadline.
Washington state doesn't have a jobs shortage, "we have a skills shortage," said Sen. Kastama. He said 60,000 jobs are going unfilled because of a lack of skilled workers. One bill that Democrats say would help address that shortage is 6289, which provides training for unemployed people to become entrepreneurs. Another bill would help the spouses of military members obtain professional licenses. A handful of other bills are aimed at expanding the state's aerospace industry. Kastama said one of his top priorities is 5808. If an industry earns more revenue than projected, then industry groups could apply for a rebate that could be used for research and training workers. The rebates would be capped at $5 million a year. Post from TVW The Capitol Record.
LINK: You can watch the full half-hour press conference here.
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