Fast Track Advanced Apprenticeships Now Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 548 To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a determination on whether to approve an occupation as an apprenticeable occupation in a timely man- ner, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 28, 2021 Mr. KIM of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. NORCROSS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To direct the Secretary of Labor to make a determination on whether to approve an occupation as an apprenticeable occupation in a timely manner, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fast Track Advanced 4 Apprenticeships Now Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. NEW APPRENTICEABLE OCCUPATIONS. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall re- 7 view and make a determination on whether to approve an 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:26 Feb 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H548.IH H548 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 548 IH occupation as an apprenticeable occupation not later than 1 45 days after receiving an application from a person seek- 2 ing such approval from the Secretary. 3 (b) ESTIMATED TIMELINE.—If such determination is 4 not made within 45 days, the Secretary shall provide the 5 applicant with a written explanation for the delay and 6 offer an estimated timeline for a determination that does 7 not exceed 90 days after the date of such written expla- 8 nation. 9 SEC. 3. INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED OCCUPATIONAL STAND- 10 ARDS. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall convene, on 12 an ongoing basis and taking into consideration rec- 13 ommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Ap- 14 prenticeships, as authorized under the Act of August 16, 15 1937 (commonly referred to as the National Apprentice- 16 ship Act), the industry sector leaders and experts de- 17 scribed in subsection (b) for the purposes of establishing 18 or updating specific frameworks of industry-recognized oc- 19 cupational standards for apprenticeable occupations (in- 20 cluding potential apprenticeable occupations) that— 21 (1) meet the requirements of subpart A of part 22 29, and part 30 of title 29, Code of Federal Regula- 23 tions (as in effect on September 18, 2020); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:26 Feb 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H548.IH H548 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 548 IH (2) describe program scope and length, related 1 instruction, on-the-job training, recognized postsec- 2 ondary credentials, and competencies, and relevant 3 timelines for review of such frameworks. 4 (b) INDUSTRY SECTOR LEADERS AND EXPERTS.— 5 The industry sector leaders and experts are employers, in- 6 dustry associations, joint labor-management organiza- 7 tions, labor organizations, education and training pro- 8 viders, credential providers, program participants, and 9 other stakeholders relevant to the sector or occupation for 10 which the frameworks are being established or updated, 11 as determined by the Secretary. 12 (c) PRIORITY INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED 13 APPRENTICEABLE OCCUPATIONS.—In establishing frame- 14 works under subsection (a) for the first time after the date 15 enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prioritize the 16 establishment of such standards in high-skill, high-wage, 17 or in-demand industry sectors and occupations. 18 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 19 In this Act: 20 (1) APPRENTICESHIP.—The term ‘‘apprentice- 21 ship’’ or ‘‘apprenticeship program’’ means an ap- 22 prenticeship— 23 (A) registered with the Department of 24 Labor under the Act of August 16, 1937 (com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:26 Feb 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H548.IH H548 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 548 IH monly known as the ‘‘National Apprenticeship 1 Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 2 et seq.), or a State Apprenticeship Agency rec- 3 ognized by the Department of Labor; and 4 (B) that complies with the requirements of 5 subpart A of part 29, and part 30 of title 29, 6 Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on 7 September 18, 2020). 8 (2) NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM.—The 9 term ‘‘national apprenticeship system’’ means the 10 apprenticeship programs, youth apprenticeship pro- 11 grams, and pre-apprenticeship programs registered 12 under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly re- 13 ferred to as the National Apprenticeship Act). 14 (3) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN- 15 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden- 16 tial’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 17 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 18 U.S.C. 3102), except that such term does not in- 19 clude a certificate of completion of an apprentice- 20 ship. 21 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 22 the Secretary of Labor. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:26 Feb 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H548.IH H548 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 548 IH SEC. 5. FUNDING. 1 Any funds appropriated under this Act shall only be 2 used for, or provided to, programs under the national ap- 3 prenticeship system, including any funds awarded for the 4 purposes of grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, 5 or the development, implementation, or administration, of 6 programs under the national apprenticeship system. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:26 Feb 17, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H548.IH H548 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS