Pre-Apprenticeship Wrap-around Support Services Fund Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 731 To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to eligible applicants to provide stipends to individuals enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 2, 2021 Mr. SMITH of Washington (for himself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to eligible applicants to provide stipends to individuals enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program, 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 ‘‘Pre-Apprenticeship 4 Wrap-around Support Services Fund Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 731 IH SEC. 2. GRANTS TO PROVIDE STIPENDS TO INDIVIDUALS 1 ENROLLED IN A PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PRO- 2 GRAM. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor may 4 make grants to eligible applicants to provide stipends to 5 individuals enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program in ac- 6 cordance with the requirements under this Act. 7 (b) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM DEFINED.— 8 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘pre-apprenticeship 9 program’’ means a program, initiative, or set of strategies 10 that— 11 (1) is designed to prepare individuals to enroll 12 in a registered apprenticeship program, including 13 preparing individuals with the skills and com- 14 petencies necessary to succeed in such program; 15 (2) is carried out by an eligible applicant that 16 has entered into a formal agreement with one or 17 more sponsors of a registered apprenticeship pro- 18 gram; and 19 (3) includes— 20 (A) theoretical education (including the use 21 of curricula); and 22 (B) training (including hands-on train- 23 ing)— 24 (i) aligned with industry standards of 25 a registered apprenticeship program; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 731 IH (ii) that does not displace an employee 1 where such training takes place. 2 (c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 3 under this Act, an eligible applicant shall submit an appli- 4 cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 5 containing such information as the Secretary may require. 6 (d) GRANT REQUIREMENT.—Each grantee shall— 7 (1) establish primary indicators of performance 8 with respect to individuals enrolled in a pre-appren- 9 ticeship program, which shall include— 10 (A) the percentage of such individuals who 11 are enrolled in a registered apprenticeship pro- 12 gram within 6 months after completing a pre- 13 apprenticeship; 14 (B) the percentage of such individuals who 15 are enrolled in a registered apprenticeship pro- 16 gram within 12 months after completing a pre- 17 apprenticeship; 18 (C) the median earnings of such individ- 19 uals who are enrolled in a registered apprentice- 20 ship program within 6 months after completing 21 a pre-apprenticeship; and 22 (D) the percentage of such individuals who 23 obtain a recognized postsecondary credential or 24 a secondary school diploma (or the recognized 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 731 IH equivalent of such diploma) while enrolled in a 1 pre-apprenticeship or within one year after 2 completing a pre-apprenticeship; and 3 (2) on an annual basis, collect data with respect 4 to— 5 (A) the primary indicators of performance 6 under paragraph (1); 7 (B) the number of stipends provided 8 through grants funds under this Act; and 9 (C) the amount of each such stipend. 10 (e) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Each grantee shall 11 prioritize the provision of stipends to individuals enrolled 12 in a pre-apprenticeship program who are also individuals 13 with a barrier to employment. 14 (f) USE OF STIPEND.—Each grantee shall ensure 15 that a stipend awarded pursuant to this section is used 16 only to reimburse for— 17 (1) necessary transportation costs with respect 18 to a pre-apprenticeship program, including vehicle 19 mileage and public transportation costs; 20 (2) lost hourly wages of an individual enrolled 21 in a pre-apprenticeship program, in the case that 22 participation in such program causes a reduction of 23 hours at the place of employment of such individual; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 731 IH (3) financial costs of an individual enrolled in 1 a pre-apprenticeship program with respect to obtain- 2 ing industry-based certifications during the period of 3 enrollment in such program. 4 (g) REPORT.— 5 (1) REPORT TO SECRETARY.—Not later than 1 6 year after receiving a grant under this Act, and an- 7 nually thereafter, each grantee shall submit to the 8 Secretary a report that includes the data collected 9 pursuant to subsection (d)(2). 10 (2) REPORT TO CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 11 TEES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the 12 enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 13 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Edu- 14 cation and Labor of the House of Representatives 15 and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 16 and Pensions of the Senate a report on the progress 17 and outcomes with respect to each grant awarded 18 under this Act. 19 (h) ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 20 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘eligible 21 applicant’’ means an entity that currently operates 22 or sponsors a pre-apprenticeship program, including 23 a joint labor-management partnership, an industry 24 partnership, a local educational agency, a secondary 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 731 IH school, an area career and technical education 1 school, a State board, a local board, or a commu- 2 nity-based organization. 3 (2) GRANTEE.—The term ‘‘grantee’’ means an 4 eligible applicant that receives a grant under this 5 Act. 6 (3) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EMPLOY- 7 MENT.—The term ‘‘individual with a barrier to em- 8 ployment’’ has the meaning given the term under 9 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor- 10 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 11 (4) FORMAL AGREEMENT.—The term ‘‘formal 12 agreement’’ means an agreement between an eligible 13 applicant and one or more sponsors of a registered 14 apprenticeship program that includes the following: 15 (A) Enables individuals who successfully 16 complete a pre-apprenticeship program— 17 (i) to enter into a registered appren- 18 ticeship program (dependent on availability 19 and whether such individual meets the 20 qualifications of such program); and 21 (ii) to earn credit toward a registered 22 apprenticeship program. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 731 IH (B) Provides for a sponsor to review and 1 approve the training referred to in subsection 2 (b)(3), on an annual basis. 3 (5) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN- 4 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden- 5 tial’’ has the meaning given the term under section 6 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 7 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 8 (6) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 9 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 10 means an apprenticeship program that— 11 (A) is registered with the Department of 12 Labor pursuant to the Act of August 16, 1937 13 (commonly known as the ‘‘National Apprentice- 14 ship Act’’; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), or is recog- 15 nized by the Department of Labor as a State 16 apprenticeship agency; and 17 (B) complies with the requirements of sub- 18 part A of part 29 and subpart A of part 30 of 19 title 29, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc- 20 cessor regulations). 21 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 22 the Secretary of Labor. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 731 IH (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 1 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 2 necessary to carry out this Act. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Feb 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H731.IH H731 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS