Rep. Drew Hansen is celebrating the progress of a bill he sponsored to help students train for computer science jobs.

Hansen, a Bainbridge Democrat and 23rd District lawmaker, joined forces with Rep. Chad Magendanz (R-Issaquah) on HB 1813, a bipartisan proposal to expand computer science education so students will be prepared for jobs in the high-technology industry.

The bill was recently passed out of the House Education Committee.

Hansen and Magendanz have been working for several years on bipartisan solutions to the state’s computer science professional shortage, beginning with the successful passage in 2013 of HB 1472, expanding AP computer science in Washington high schools.

HB 1813 creates the Computer Science and Education Grant program, which funds grants to help educators who want to pursue professional development in computer science. The program also reaches out to students to inspire their interest in computer science, and helps school districts pay for technology to teach computer science courses.

“We want to help today’s students train for tomorrow’s jobs. Employers like Avalara, Paladin and the U.S. Navy will always need skilled computer science professionals,” Hansen said. “We want to get students excited about this field so they will have a strong foundation if they decide to pursue computer science careers.”

Added Magendanz: “The numbers tell the story. Lots of available good-paying high-tech jobs, and not enough people to fill them.”

“If we give more children access to computer science learning now, they’ll have greater opportunities in the future,” said Magendanz, the ranking Republican on the House Education Committee. “This is an important education reform that will help our students and our economy.”

The bill is also supported by leaders in the tech industry.

“We have a social and economic imperative to ensure that all kids have the opportunity to learn computer science,” said Jane Broom, community affairs director at Microsoft.

“Way too many young people — particularly our girls, our kids of color, our kids from low-income communities, and our kids from rural communities — simply don’t have access to computer science courses at all,” she said.

The bill also adopts high-quality statewide computer science teaching standards and directs the creation of a computer science endorsement for educators interested in teaching computer science.

“The most critical piece of this bill is the teacher retooling piece and the professional development to train existing teachers to teach computer science,” said Hadi Partovi, founder of Code.org.

“Teachers who study to learn and teach computer science call it the best professional development they’ve received and the most impactful use of dollars to increase student access to the field,” Partovi said.