Guest column: Staying in the game to win next-generation aerospace jobs

Fifty-five years after McDonnell Aircraft of St. Louis won a nationwide competition to build the Mercury space capsule, there's another aerospace competition underway today. Its outcome will have a powerful and lasting impact on this region and the future of the aerospace industry in our state.

Using new technologies, the Boeing 777X will be the largest, most fuel-efficient twin-engine jet in the world. To build the 777X, Boeing will create thousands of advanced manufacturing jobs, construct multibillion-dollar facilities and establish expansive supply chains. Missouri faced a simple choice: Compete to bring the 777X and the thousands of jobs that would come with it to Missouri; or sit this one out and watch this transformative project pass us by.

To me, and the Missourians I heard from across the state, the choice was clear. From the F-150 to the F-18, here in Missouri we don't just build big things; we build the next big thing. And when it comes to historic opportunities to create thousands of family- supporting jobs and supersize our manufacturing industry, we compete, and we compete to win.

In a matter of days, a strong statewide coalition came together and sent a clear message that Missouri was open for business. And just one week after my call for a special session, Republicans and Democrats worked to pass legislation to help put forward a competitive proposal without jeopardizing vital public services such as education or putting taxpayers at risk.

Senate Bill 1 provides additional capacity to four of Missouri's existing economic development programs. These programs require companies to invest and create jobs first before they are eligible to keep a portion of the new revenue they generate. If a business such as Boeing decides not to move forward with a project, Missouri pays nothing. If they don't create all the jobs they promise, they get credit only for the workers actually hired. And because each project is required by state law to show a net positive return on investment, the more jobs we bring to our communities, the more dollars we can invest in our K-12 classrooms.

A half-century after Missouri engineers helped put our nation on the path to winning the Space Race, Missouri has another rare opportunity to make aerospace history by building the next generation of commercial aircraft. By working together in a bipartisan, fiscally responsible way, we are a strong position to seize it. Let's stay in the game.

Jay Nixon is the governor of the state of Missouri.