Sen.-elect Hobbs wants state to train wounded veterans for DOT careers

OLYMPIA – Sen.-elect. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, knows firsthand the toll the Iraq war can take on American service members. As an Army captain in Iraq in 2004, Hobbs served alongside peers who were maimed and killed by insurgents’ bombs.

Elected in November to the 44th Legislative District, Hobbs wants to recognize veterans’ sacrifices by easing their transition into peacetime careers — and says that an ideal way to do that is through the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The first bill Hobbs will sponsor when the 2007 session convenes on Jan. 8 would establish an intern program that would match vets with jobs that either tap their military skills or teach them related skills within WSDOT.

“This war has been hard on all of us in the service, especially those who have come back wounded or disfigured,” Hobbs said. “This is a way of helping my brothers and sisters who are serving in the global war on terrorism.”

Hobbs’ measure would mirror a Virginia Department of Transportation program that is financed through a $250,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration. The program takes advantage of the similarity between transportation jobs that require skills common to military personnel, such as mapping, planning, finance, project management, procurement or quality control.

Though conceived to address the needs of service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the program would assist any service member transitioning to civilian life. Tens of thousands of American service men and women have been wounded in Iraq, and a larger number carry emotional wounds that can impede their ability to rejoin the everyday world.

The internships would last from six months to two years at WSDOT workplaces near where the veterans are living or are receiving rehab services. Those in the program would not only receive valuable training in adapting their skills to peacetime jobs but would be considered for openings in WSDOT and promoted to firms that do business with WSDOT.

“This will give them a running start at getting real family-wage jobs, and that’s important,” Hobbs said. “These folks don’t have an easy road ahead of them.”

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