The state Senate yesterday approved legislation reauthorizing the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation, sending it to the House.
Senate Bill 6139 was approved 47-0.
JCATI was established by the Legislature in 2012 with a $3 million biennial appropriation to fund seed grants for research in the aerospace industry at state institutions of higher education. About $1.2 million of those funds, on average, have funded research projects at WSU each biennium. Though it is fully funded, the center is scheduled to sunset on June 30. Senate bill 6139 would extend the date to June 30, 2030.
In December the Joint Legislative, Audit, and Review Committee recommended it be reauthorized after performing a sunset review.
“It’s been a huge success,” said Sen. Mark Mullet, chair of the committee and the bill’s sponsor. “The feeling among the JLARC staff is that it’s done everything we’ve expected it to do.”
“This is a good opportunity for students in the STEM-related fields,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson. Almost 400 students to date have participated in JCATI research projects.
You can watch the floor debate on SB 6139 below: