09/06/2007

A $9 million appropriation bill to establish a tuition forgiveness program for Arkansas residents who seek jobs in the trucking, transportation and logistics fields has been referred to the Joint Budget Committee, reported the Arkansas News Bureau.

Senate President Jack Critcher, who filed Senate Bill 703, said the program would help Arkansans get jobs and cost less than incentives to lure jobs to the state.

“We talk a lot about economic development, but Senate Bill 703 can actually give people the tools they need to work in good jobs,” Critcher stated in a news release.

The bill would allow trainees that meet specific residency requirements to recover up to $3,500 of their tuition expenses.

Lane Kidd, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, told the News Bureau that the average wage for truck drivers with three years experience is $50,000 per year.

Kidd also stated that the program would attract more students to the industry, which is currently struggling to find qualified candidates, and that the state would easily recoup its expenses through income tax collections.

Arkansas trucking companies have approximately 1,000 jobs currently available as professional truck drivers, technicians and administrative personnel, according to the association.