Representative Tyler Sirois (R- Cocoa) announced the launch of the Space Caucus during his remarks yesterday to aerospace industry leaders visiting the Florida Capitol in celebration of the annual “Florida Space Day” at the Capitol.
The caucus will be co-chaired by Representative Sirois and Senator Tom Wright (R- New Smyrna Beach), who is also Chairman of the Senate Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs and Space.
“The Space Caucus will be instrumental in educating members of the Florida Legislature about the importance of space and Florida remaining the launch pad to America’s future in space exploration,” said Representative Sirois.
“Florida’s Space Coast is seeing unprecedented growth as the aerospace industry is making a comeback since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011,” said Senator Wright. “In 2017, spaceport operations in my district attributed to nearly 24,000 jobs with a total economic impact of $3.9 billion to the State of Florida.”
“We want to see continued growth in Florida’s aerospace industry,” added Representative Sirois. “For this growth to continue, it is vitally important that we have a well-trained workforce, education that focuses on meeting the needs of the industry, and a business environment that allows the industry to thrive.”
Representative Sirois, also a Member of the Workforce Development and Tourism Subcommittee, noted his support for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and collaborative apprenticeship programs to fuel interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related fields, and engage students in aerospace industry opportunities.
“These are exciting times as we will once again return astronauts to space this year in American spacecraft, return to the moon, and from there, the first humans will fly to Mars,” said Representative Sirois. “The future of space in our state is bright and we would love to get our colleagues here in Tallahassee on board.”
For additional information or questions regarding the Space Caucus, please contact Angelique Rinaldi, Legislative Assistant to Representative Tyler Sirois, at 850-717-5051 or [email protected].
