[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16479-16480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       INNOVATIVE APPRENTICESHIPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Ferguson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the PARTNERS

[[Page 16480]]

Act, legislation I am introducing this morning with my friend, 
Representative Bonamici from Oregon.
  Our bill would establish a grant program to support the creation and 
expansion of innovative apprenticeships that prepare our workers for 
21st century careers.
  In the Third District of Georgia, the CEC in Newnan has led Georgia 
by implementing an apprenticeship model, and since then, we have seen 
apprenticeships continue to expand across our great State.
  I, along with Ms. Bonamici, are introducing the PARTNERS Act today to 
bring more programs like this to students and workers across the 
Nation.
  By funding this grant with already existing H1-B visa fees, which are 
collected from foreign visa applicants, we are ensuring that workers 
can receive immediate work-based training at no cost to the American 
taxpayer.

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