[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 236 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 236
To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to develop,
administer, and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 2, 2023
Mr. Young (for himself, Mr. Casey, and Mrs. Capito) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to develop,
administer, and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Early Educators Apprenticeship
Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Apprentice.--The term ``apprentice'' means an
individual participating in a registered apprenticeship program
focused on early childhood education.
(2) Apprenticeship.--Except when used in referring to or
defining the term ``registered apprenticeship program'', the
term ``apprenticeship'' means a registered apprenticeship
program that trains apprentices.
(3) Credential or degree.--The term ``credential or
degree'' means a recognized secondary or postsecondary
credential, a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent,
or a postsecondary degree (including an associate,
baccalaureate, or other degree).
(4) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible
partnership'' means a partnership that--
(A) includes an individual employer or a consortium
of employers (including schools and child care centers
and family child care providers), and an institution of
higher education; and
(B) may include one or more--
(i) labor organizations;
(ii) workforce intermediaries;
(iii) economic development agencies;
(iv) community-based organizations;
(v) State educational agencies or local
educational agencies, as such terms are defined
in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
(vi) providers of support or specialized
services for apprentices.
(5) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101, and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section
102(a)(1), of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001,
1002(a)(1)).
(6) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term
``registered apprenticeship program'' means an apprenticeship
program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly
known as the ``National Apprenticeship Act''; 50 Stat. 664,
chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), including any requirement,
standard, or rule promulgated under such Act as in effect on
December 30, 2019.
(7) Secretary.--Except as otherwise specifically provided,
the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Labor.
(8) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico.
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education,
shall award grants to eligible partnerships to pay the Federal share of
the costs of developing, administering, and evaluating apprenticeships.
(c) Application.--An eligible partnership seeking a grant under
this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary for approval at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
(d) Uses of Funds.--
(1) Required uses.--A grant under subsection (b) shall be
used for activities that develop, administer, and evaluate an
apprenticeship, including--
(A) equipping apprentices with specialized
knowledge, skills, and competencies required to work in
early childhood education;
(B) increasing the number of individuals who
complete an apprenticeship program and obtain a
credential or degree or a certificate of completion of
an apprenticeship program, including increasing such
number in areas that are underserved or rural;
(C) promoting recruitment and retention of
apprentices;
(D) providing a pathway to career advancement for
apprentices by assisting such apprentices in completing
an apprenticeship;
(E) providing for evaluation and longitudinal data
regarding apprentices participating in the program to
determine long-term outcomes, including information
needed for purposes of subsections (g) and (i);
(F) supporting partnerships with institutions of
higher education in the State in which the eligible
partnership serves, or will serve, apprentices,
businesses, and other entities participating in an
apprenticeship to provide for--
(i) the award of postsecondary academic
credit for related instruction or on-the-job
training provided through the apprenticeship;
and
(ii) the application of such credit toward
a credential or degree from an institution in
the partnership; and
(G) developing strategies to hire and retain
qualified supervisors for apprentices that support such
apprentices through--
(i) professional development;
(ii) mentorship;
(iii) evaluation; and
(iv) training.
(2) Permitted uses.--In addition to the requirements under
paragraph (1), a grant under subsection (b) may be used--
(A) in cooperation with the State agency
responsible for apprenticeships in the State in which
the eligible partnership serves or will serve
apprentices, to create or maintain a statewide resource
database for businesses, institutions of higher
education, or other entities participating in an
apprenticeship to share best practices, curricula, and
other resources that directly contribute to
administering an effective apprenticeship;
(B) to establish primary indicators of performance
with respect to apprentices and individuals who have
completed an apprenticeship to be shared on any
workforce registry of such State and the registered
apprenticeship program data system maintained by the
Secretary of Labor, including--
(i) the percentage of individuals who have
completed an apprenticeship and remain employed
full-time in early childhood education--
(I) 6 months after completing such
apprenticeship; and
(II) 1 year after completing such
apprenticeship;
(ii) the median earnings of individuals who
have completed an apprenticeship and are
employed full-time in early childhood education
within 6 months after completing such
apprenticeship;
(iii) the percentage of apprentices who
obtain a credential or degree while
participating in an apprenticeship; and
(iv) the percentage of individuals who have
completed an apprenticeship and who begin or
obtain a credential or degree within 1 year
after completing the apprenticeship; and
(C) to pay the costs of tuition and fees for
apprentices enrolled in programs of education leading
to a credential or degree.
(e) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize eligible partnerships
that--
(1) include in the eligible partnership, or have developed
partnerships with--
(A) Indian Tribes in the State in which the
eligible partnership serves or will serve apprentices;
or
(B) institutions of higher education that serve
minority populations;
(2) operate or serve an apprenticeship program in a State
that has a statewide credit articulation agreement in place
that ensures credit transfer between participating institutions
of higher education in the State and other relevant credential
programs; or
(3) provide an assurance that not less than 25 percent of
the grant funds will be used to support apprenticeships in
underserved or rural communities.
(f) Grant Term and Limitation.--
(1) Term.--The term of a grant made under this Act shall be
3 years.
(2) Limitation.--The Secretary shall award no greater than
20 grants under this section each fiscal year.
(g) Grant Recipient Evaluation and Report.--Not later than 1 year
after receiving a grant under this Act, and annually thereafter for the
duration of the grant, an eligible partnership shall submit to the
Secretary a report containing--
(1) an evaluation of the eligible partnership's
apprenticeships to determine which program strategies made
progress toward--
(A) increasing the aggregate number of apprentices;
and
(B) increasing the retention rates of apprentices;
and
(2) the number of individuals served by the grant who are
enrolled in, or completed, an educational credential, in the
aggregate and disaggregated by type of credential or degree
(including secondary school diploma, the recognized equivalent
of a secondary school diploma, a certificate, a credential, an
associate degree, a baccalaureate degree, and any other
category of secondary or postsecondary credential) and as
applicable, by specific educational program within the
credential or degree (including, if applicable, a child
development associate credential).
(h) Cost-Sharing.--
(1) In general.--The Federal share of the cost of any
activity carried out using a grant made under this Act shall be
not more than 75 percent.
(2) In-kind contributions.--The non-Federal share of the
total cost of any activity carried out using a grant made under
this Act may be in the form of donations or in-kind
contributions of goods or services fairly valued.
(i) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
effectiveness of each eligible partnership that received a grant under
this Act to develop, administer, and evaluate apprenticeships,
including evaluating--
(1) any increase in the number of apprentices in early
childhood education;
(2) any increase in the retention rates of individuals who
work in early childhood education after completing an
apprenticeship;
(3) the career path of apprentices and individuals who have
completed an apprenticeship; and
(4) any increase in the number of credentials and degrees
obtained by apprentices.
(j) Funding.--To carry out the grant program under this Act, the
Secretary shall use amounts allocated under section 414(c) of the
American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (29
U.S.C. 3224a).
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOAN RESTRICTIONS.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall revise section 3555.102(c) of
title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, to exclude a business that is a
licensed child care provider.
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