WA COMMERCE: State invests $123K to help train 90 certified marine welders in Port Angeles over five years

Assistance, partnership needed to meet demand for skilled aluminum welders as Armstrong Marine expands to fulfill $38 million contract to build Navy maintenance barges in peninsula community
The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded a $123,000 Governor’s Work Start grant to develop customized curriculum and train certified aluminum welders to support business expansion and new jobs at Armstrong Marine Inc. (AMI) in Port Angeles. AMI recently won a $38 million government contract to build state-of-the-art maintenance barges for the U.S. Navy.
Partners in the Port Angeles project, Impact Washington and Peninsula College, will work together with AMI to develop an expedited training.  The company plans to double its workforce in the Port Angeles area, hiring 60 new workers over the next 24 months. In addition to fulfilling AMI’s need to train qualified marine welders, the Work Start program will become regular curriculum at Peninsula College to support future growth in the state’s $37.6 billion maritime industry sector.
Port Angeles and Sequim High Schools also may be involved in supporting a Running Start pathway to skilled, good-paying jobs in the marine trades on the rural Olympic Peninsula.
“Boat and ship building, repair and maintenance is a vital subsector of Washington’s maritime industry, and a key economic driver for Clallam County,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This project not only supports Armstrong Marine’s immediate expansion plans, but also supports our goals to increase export opportunities and continue to build our maritime, military and defense sectors.”
http://www.commerce.wa.gov/news-releases/state-invests-123k-help-train-90-certified-marine-welders-port-angeles-five-years/

From our congressional delegation to Washington DC

Kilmer, Russell Reintroduce Bill to Open Defense Jobs to Military Retirees
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Steve Russell (R-OK) reintroduced a bill to make sure military retirees have fair access to jobs with the Department of Defense. Under current law, servicemembers who retire have to wait 180 before even applying for civilian jobs at military facilities like the Pentagon.
From 2001 until last year, the President had issued a waiver to lift the hiring rule. But the waiver went away at the end of 2016, causing individuals like Tom Bartz Jr. who the Kitsap Sun reported now is dealing with a delayed start date at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-russell-reintroduce-bill-to-open-defense-jobs-to-military-retirees-

Lawmakers Push for Open Data in Government
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), Blake Farenthold (R-TX-27) and Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ben Sasse (R-NE) jointly reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to open up government data to improve services and support new discoveries in the private sector.
The Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary (OPEN) Government Data Act requires that public data be accessible at Data.gov so individuals, organizations and other government offices can utilize it. Last week, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reviewed and discussed the bill.
“Our goal is to make data more open to the public and more efficiently used by government agencies,” said Kilmer. “Making open data standard practice will create a more responsive government and help everyday Americans. It saves taxpayer money and gives innovators new tools to help fuel breakthroughs. I’m proud to be a part of this effort to empower positive change for our government, citizens, and businesses.”
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/lawmakers-push-for-open-data-in-government

Kilmer Presses Navy for Answers on Impacts of Training Missions on Olympic Peninsula
TACOMA, WA – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-0) pressed the Navy for answers on the impacts of training missions on the Olympic Peninsula. In a letter to Sean Stackley, Acting Secretary of the Navy, Kilmer asked for further clarification on recent activity near Olympic National Park and surrounding communities.
In a series of questions to the Navy, Kilmer asked how public comments were incorporated into the environmental review for projects like Growler flights and electronic range testing. He also questioned whether the Navy has worked with other agencies to most effectively measure how much jet noise can be heard on the Olympic Peninsula.
Kilmer wrote in the letter: “Given your agency’s mission, I request assistance in further understanding your recent and ongoing efforts impacting Washington’s Sixth Congressional District. Like many of my neighbors, I want my kids, and their kids to enjoy the pristine environment that I have been privileged to experience.”
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-presses-navy-for-answers-on-impacts-of-training-missions-on-olympic-peninsula-

Editorial note: How about the fact that the Navy will bring much needed commerce to the local area Kilmer, what happened to ensuring jobs for the Olympic Peninsula Congressman Kilmer?

Reps. Kilmer and Kustoff Introduce Bill to Protect Religious Institutions
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 27, 2017 – Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN) and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA) today introduced the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017. This bipartisan legislation, also co-sponsored by Congressman Ted Poe (R-TN), Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-MA), would increase the federal penalty for bomb threats and other credible threats of violence against community religious centers and ensure these acts can be prosecuted as a hate crime.
“The rise in threats at religious community centers is deeply disturbing and makes it clear that existing federal laws do not suitably deter these acts of hate,” said Kustoff. “Religious tolerance is the bedrock on which our great nation was founded. We must defend the individual liberties of our neighbors of all faiths and protect places of worship, and I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that addresses the issue head on.”
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/reps-kilmer-and-kustoff-introduce-bill-to-protect-religious-institutions

For more news on our congressional delegation to Washington DC, and State news headlines see page 2