“A bill to clarify the program standards registration process for registered apprenticeship programs, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes standards and procedures for registering apprenticeship programs under the National Apprenticeship Act. It defines key terms including a competency-based approach (requiring successful demonstration of skills and an on-the-job learning component), a time-based approach (requiring completion of at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning), complete and incomplete program standards, and State apprenticeship agencies. The section requires prospective sponsors to submit program standards that list participating entities, specify the approach used, and demonstrate compliance with applicable wage, safety, licensing, and other State and federal standards (including 29 C.F.R. part 29). It directs the Secretary of Labor or a State apprenticeship agency to approve or deny complete standards within 90 days (with areas of noncompliance and suggested corrections if denied) and to provide corrective feedback on incomplete standards within 30 days. Beginning 120 days after enactment, the Secretary must publish monthly online reports on average response times, disaggregated by complete and incomplete standards.
This section limits the authority of State apprenticeship councils under the National Apprenticeship Act by prohibiting them from exercising final decision-making authority over apprenticeship program standards or from being required to recommend such standards. The changes take effect 2 years after the date of enactment.
This section establishes a grant program under which the Secretary of Labor awards annual grants to States, beginning with the first program year after the date of enactment of this Act, to support registered apprenticeship programs. The Secretary must allot grant funds according to a formula based on each State’s share of the national population and total apprentices, with an additional weighting factor for new apprentices enrolled in the program year; each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia is guaranteed a minimum allotment of $1,000,000. The grant awarded to a State equals half the allotted amount plus a matching amount (not to exceed the half-allotment) provided by the State, with an additional proportional share distributed to States that fully match their half-allotment. For States that register apprenticeships through a State apprenticeship agency, the Secretary must deduct up to 20 percent of the following year’s grant if the agency’s average response time exceeds 90 days for complete program standards packages or 30 days for incomplete packages.
This section requires each State apprenticeship agency to make publicly available online the process for registering under the National Apprenticeship Act an apprenticeship program that has already been registered by the Secretary or by another State apprenticeship agency.
This section requires each State apprenticeship agency to make publicly available online information on apprenticeship standards in the State, including State minimum wage requirements, State safety standards, and instructions for documenting compliance with on-the-job training and related technical instruction requirements.