[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4369 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4369

   To expand access to apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships among 
              certain populations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 17, 2019

  Mr. Walker (for himself, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Spano, Mrs. Rodgers of 
 Washington, Mr. Wright, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Meuser, and Mr. Crawford) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
     Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on the 
 Judiciary, Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To expand access to apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships among 
              certain populations, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Nationwide, there are over 585,000 apprentices 
        currently obtaining the skills they need to succeed, while 
        earning the wages they need to build financial security.
            (2) On June 15, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive 
        order to double Federal spending on the Apprenticeship USA 
        program to $200 million a year, with the money allocated from 
        existing job training programs.
            (3) Businesses from across the country signed the ``Pledge 
        to American Workers'', committing to provide 3,800,000 workers 
        with apprenticeship opportunities.
            (4) Nationally, 91 percent of United States apprentices are 
        employed after completing their programs, with an average 
        starting wage above $60,000.
            (5) The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for 
        the 21st Century Act was signed into law in July 2018 to 
        promote access to workplace development programs such as 
        apprenticeship programs.
            (6) On December 21, 2018, the First Step Act of 2018 was 
        signed into law, a landmark criminal justice reform to promote 
        hope and opportunity for incarcerated individuals.
            (7) Former inmates often face a significant inability to 
        enter the workforce due to a lack of relevant training, 
        negatively impacting their family and future generations.
            (8) Sixty percent of the 650,000 inmates released every 
        year are unemployed one year after they are released.
            (9) Congress must continue its work to expand all forms of 
        apprenticeship opportunities to ensure all American workers 
        have access to the necessary workforce development tools.

SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESS TO APPRENTICESHIPS.

    (a) Promotion of All Forms of Apprenticeships and Pre-
Apprenticeships to Certain Populations.--The Secretary of Defense, the 
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the Attorney 
General, shall, in consultation with each other and consistent with 
applicable law, promote all forms of apprenticeships and pre-
apprenticeships for--
            (1) high school students and participants in the Job Corps 
        of the Department of Labor;
            (2) persons currently or formerly incarcerated;
            (3) persons not currently attending high school or an 
        accredited post-secondary educational institution; and
            (4) for members of armed services and veterans.
    (b) Promotion of Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeships to Certain 
Industries.--The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Labor shall 
promote apprenticeships to business leaders across critical industry 
sectors, including manufacturing, infrastructure, cybersecurity, health 
care, and construction.
    (c) Apprenticeship Defined.--For the purposes of this Act, the term 
``apprenticeship'' means an arrangement that includes a paid-work 
component and an educational or instructional component, wherein an 
individual obtains workplace-relevant knowledge and skills.
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