U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) received ARSA’s 2020 Legislative Leadership Award at a March 11 Capitol Hill ceremony.

Congratulations to @RepLawrence on receiving @ARSAWorks 2020 Legislative Leadership Award for her service to the #AVMRO workforce. #ARSACONF2020 pic.twitter.com/VUpkDKtHA4

— Brett Levanto (@LevantoAir) March 11, 2020

In 2018, Lawrence was an original cosponsor of bipartisan bill to address the well-documented aviation maintenance technician shortage. The legislation, which was enacted into law as part of the 2018 FAA reauthorization bill, created a new grant program to encourage schools, aviation businesses, unions and government entities to collectively address the maintenance workforce skills gap. During the current Congress, Lawrence (a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee) helped ensure the program was fully funded for Fiscal Year 2020.  

The award was presented by ARSA Executive Vice President Christian A. Klein at a luncheon held as part of the ARSA’s 2020 Legislative Day. Each year the association honors a member of Congress who has proven to be an ally to those working every day to keep the world safely in flight.

Lawrence, who was first elected to Congress in 2014, has significant experience with education issues.  In addition to serving as mayor of the City of Southfield and president of the Southfield City Council prior to being elected to Congress, she served on the Southfield Public School Board of Education as president, vice president and secretary.

In presenting the award, Klein noted that Michigan’s aviation maintenance industry supports more than 7,700 jobs and contributes $1.6 billion annually to the state’s economy. “The new program that Rep. Lawrence helped created will prepare students in Michigan and around the country for well-paying careers in a growing, high-tech, global industry. We’re immensely grateful for her dedication and leadership in the area of career technical education.”

To see what else happened during Legislative Day and across ARSA’s four-day Annual Conference, visit arsa.org/conference.

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