TVW Air ScheduleGov. Chris Gregoire will sign the bill to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct with a deep bore tunnel tomorrow afternoon in Seattle.
Here’s our previous coverage on the bill.
The bill signing is at 2 p.m., so check back tomorrow afternoon for her remarks.
Tags: Alaskan Way Viaduct
Austin Jenkins is in the studio right now interviewing Gov. Chris Gregoire. The show will air in just a few hours — at 7 and 10 p.m., provided that there’s no floor session at that time. I’ll post the show right here as soon as it’s available.
A preview: Jenkins asked whether she thought the Legislature could get out on time. She said she hoped so — she’s headed to Washington D.C. on April 27, a day after the scheduled adjournment.
She’ll be in D.C. on business: As a follow-up to the health care summit she participated in with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last month, she and other participants are going to share their findings with President Barack Obama.
Watch Inside Olympia on TVW at 7 and 10 p.m. (again, Legislature willing) or right here (or at tvw.org) as soon as it’s available.
Tags: Governor
Right now on TVW, you can watch the hearing for HB 2308 — the bill proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire last week that would create an aerospace council for the state.
So far, those who have testified have emphasized how the council (which would include aerospace employers, university representatives, lawmakers and others related to the industry) would help keep Washington’s aerospace industry competitive and ahead of the pack.
Tags: aerospace
Sen. Ed Murray: “Washington has been good for aerospace and aerospace has been good for Washington,” Murray said. “When it comes to aerospace, our higher education system is second to none.”
Murray said the council will help strengthen the state’s already established industry.
Rep. Jeff Morris said the state has done a lot, but must do more in order to stay competitive.
Sen. Mike Hewitt: “It’s very, very important for all of us to keep track of where we’re at, keep competitive and make sure that the next Boeing airplanes are built in the state of Washington.”
Gregoire said the council will help ensure that students across community colleges will have similar training, likewise for universities.
“Our research and development is great, but it sits in silos,” Gregoire said. She wants to integrate research from WSU and UW. “What we can do with this council, we can actually get ahead of anybody.”
Gregoire said Boeing wasn’t available for the press conference only because their representative couldn’t make it. She said they’re supportive of it.
She also said she found out this morning that she heard of the reduction in 777 production — from 7 to 5 — and she asked if it would lead to layoffs. “The answer was yes.”
Here’s what Gregoire has to say about aerospace competitiveness:
“We have made it very clear in Washington state we will not forget for one minute the great industries we have in Washington state,” she said — including aerospace. “We need to do more, and that’s why we decided for an outsider to take a measured, objective and outsider look,” she said — the study she’s referencing today.
She said the state’s advantages include the workforce, strong research and development and quality of life.
“But the study also confirmed that we need to do more to stay ahead,” she said. She noted “creating an environment where labor and business can communicate.”
She’s introducing legislation to create a council on aerospace. She said it will work to coordinate efforts at Washington’s universities and community and technical colleges.
“We need to make sure that their training is coordinated statewide.” She said we also need to “seamlessly” connect UW and WSU’s research efforts that are “very critical to the future of aerospace in this world.”
She also wants the council to “foster an environment of supercommunication,” which means communication among her office, business, universities, researchers, and more.
The council will include four legislators, the UW and WSU presidents, a Boeing representative and many more.
“We are determined that that tanker will be built in not only the United States but in our state.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire is holding a press conference at 2:45 — so, in just 45 minutes — to discuss the Aerospace Industry Competitiveness Study. She’ll also discuss “proposed aerospace legislation.”
We’ll have it Live on TVW. You can also watch it on tvw.org. I’ll post it here when it’s available online. And look for it in tonight’s Legislative Review, which airs at 11 p.m.
Starting at 10:30 a.m., Govs. Chris Gregoire and Arnold Schwarzenegger will host an online forum on healthcare. You can submit a question here.
Tune in to find out what the governors think about issues relating to health care reform. Watch at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Tags: DSHS
This was just sent out by the Governor’s office:
“I congratulate Representative Linville, Representative Ericks, the House Ways & Means Committee and House leadership on the development of their budget proposal. I appreciate their hard work in constructing their budget in these difficult economic times.
“Now that both the House and Senate have released their budgets, I look forward to working collaboratively with both chambers to enact a final operating budget that will see us through this recession. In particular, I want to make sure that we protect education. If we want quality education in our state, we must be prepared to pay for it. The return on investment is there – for our families, our businesses and our future.”
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