Kentucky's largest export is not bourbon and it's not horses.

You might be surprised to learn it's aerospace products and parts like plane engines.

And a new state Senate bill hopes to make this industry even stronger.

Kentucky has 650 plus businesses employing nearly 100,000 employees in the commonwealth that directly feed into $20 billion of export business via the aviation community.

Current metrics and Analysis project that we're going to need 600,000 pilots and 600,000 I'm sorry, 650,000 aviation mechanics over the next ten years.

And Senate Bill 127 will play a significant role to fill those jobs.

Senate Bill 127 sets up an investment account that will be funded by state dollars and private aerospace businesses that hope to attract workers.

The money will be divided for two purposes and used by Kentucky colleges and aviation programs.

The money that would be that we put into this account will fall in two buckets.

The first bucket is about over.

At least 65% of the money will be going toward scholarships that will provide incentives for institutions to bring in individuals into their into the pipeline.

In order to do that.

The other bucket of 35% or up to 35%, that's going to help up the faculty as well as equipment.

State Senator Brandon Storm said aviation programs at Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Madisonville, CTSI are interested in accessing the money.