New Apprenticeship Legislation Introduced by Senate Committee Chair; Tell Congress How Your Board Supports Apprenticeship

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced two related bills aimed at strengthening Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) this week. The introduction of this legislation coincides with the start of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which continues through May 2.

• The first bill, the Apprenticeship Data Value Improvements to Create Employment (ADVICE) Act, co-authored by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), would establish a federal advisory committee to recommend improvements for how states and sponsors collect and analyze apprenticeship outcomes such as pay, retention, and program completion. The task force would provide recommendations to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to implement future reforms on these topics.

 

• The second bill, the Streamlining Timely Apprenticeship Registration and Transparency (START) Act, co-authored by Sen. Jim Banks (R-KS), seeks to accelerate and improve the underlying registration process for establishing and implementing RAPs. The START Act would also codify a number of preexisting regulatory definitions and related processes for RAPs in statute, establish decision timelines for the DOL and State Apprenticeship Agencies (SAAs), and create a new $150 million annual formula grant program for states. Specifically, the START ACT would require that registration decisions be made within 90 days for complete program standards and within 30 days for feedback on incomplete submissions, with DOL required to publicly report average response times each month. The new state grant program would allocate funds based on state population and apprentice counts, with a $1 million per-state floor and a 50 percent state match. Allowable uses would include technical assistance to sponsors, training costs, outreach, defraying the costs of apprentice wages, and employer incentives such as pay-for-performance models. States that miss registration deadlines or related timeline requirements would see proportional reductions in the following year’s award. Additional provisions of the START Act would codify existing limits on State Apprenticeship Council authority and require public posting of state reciprocity and standards processes.

Contact Congress

NAWB is tracking both bills closely and welcomes member feedback on any aspect of the proposals. You can also share information with Congress about the Apprenticeships your board supports. Use Our Template Letter on Apprenticeship.

Our Takeaways

For the public workforce system, the most consequential elements are the proposed federal investment in apprenticeship expansion, the explicit allowance for apprentice wage subsidies, and the performance-based registration incentives. The bills largely envision states administering these dollars through their State Apprenticeship Agencies, which may raise practical questions in states where the federal Office of Apprenticeship serves these functions.

Studying Barriers to Apprenticeship

Cassidy is also requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on removing barriers to create new apprenticeship programs. We invite NAWB members to share with us insights on this topic.

On Tuesday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved H.R. 8210, A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 (ASWA 2026) by a party line vote of 19-14. As we have previously reported, the bill would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and reflects many provisions included in earlier versions of the bill considered in 2024. During the markup, several amendments were offered by Democrats: Ranking Member Bobby Scott offered a substitute amendment to replace the text of HR 8210 with the 2024 committee-passed version of the bill. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-18. Ranking Member Scott also offered an amendment that would require a competitive bidding process for registered apprenticeship grants. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-19. Rep. Alma Adams offered an amendment to keep Title II Adult Education programs at the Department of Education, using language from the 2024 committee-passed bill. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-19. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici offered an amendment to prohibit the use of Interagency Agreements (IAAs), such as ones that have been issued by the Administration moving parts of the Department of Education to other federal agencies, including the Department of Labor. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-19. Rep. John Mannion offered an amendment to reduce the number of states that can seek waivers to consolidate – from 10 states, as stated in HR 8210, to a pilot of 5 states, as the 2024 bill called for. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-19. While NAWB supports a thoughtful, modernized WIOA reauthorization, we—along with our national partners—have significant concerns with the current bill. As stated in the joint letter submitted by NACo, NAWB, NLC, USCM, and USWA, WIOA is “a critical tool that empowers local governments, workforce boards and other vital local stakeholders to connect individuals with in‑demand skills training and education needed by employers,” and any reauthorization must “balance the needs of workers, learners, employers and their communities.” The letter also warns that the bill’s proposed funding levels “would undermine the public workforce system’s ability to respond to significant changes in the economy and labor markets precipitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).” Read Letter

NAWB CEO Andrew Bercich underscored this point, noting: “Local workforce boards are on the front lines of helping workers and employers adapt to rapid economic change. Any WIOA reauthorization must strengthen—not weaken—the resources and flexibility needed to serve communities effectively.” For a deeper look at the implications of ASWA 2026 and how stakeholders can engage, we encourage you to read Gail Ravnitzky Silberglied’s blog post, “Why the A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 Falls Short—and Why Your Voice Matters Now“ NAWB will continue to work with Committee members, staff, and partners as the bill moves to the House floor and will provide updates as the legislative process continues.

Last week, House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced “A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 (ASWA 2026)”—legislation that seeks to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Chair Walberg has repeatedly indicated throughout the last year that WIOA Reauthorization is a key priority for the Committee. The text of ASWA 2026 hews closely to the version of ASWA that was nearly enacted by Congress in late 2024.

However, unlike the previous iterations of ASWA, this new, updated bill is not bipartisan. One significant difference between the two bills, representing the political divide, is that ASWA 2026 would codify the proposed transfer of WIOA Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funding and programming from the Department of Education (ED) to the Department of Labor (DOL). This remains a critical point of contention for Democrats over the past year as the Trump Administration has advanced ten different interagency agreements (IAAs) to transfer various programs and initiatives from ED to DOL alongside other federal agencies.

Three concerning policy proposals remain in ASWA 2026 including:

• 50% training requirement for Adult and Dislocated Worker funds (allowing for up to 10% for supportive services and/or individual career services related to the provision of training services)
• Additional 10% Governors Reserve funding for Critical Industry Skills Fund (essentially allowing states to reserve up to 25% of all WIOA Title I funding, up from 15% in current law)
• Single State Board Redesignation authority for states with a population of less than 5.1 million people or fewer than 5 local areas (would require State Legislature approval)

Additionally, NAWB strongly supports increased federal investment in workforce development programs. Unfortunately, ASWA 2026 would authorize federal funding for Title I Adult and Youth programs at current enacted levels for six years and cut Dislocated Worker funding levels by 4.5% over those six years. There are no funding increases envisioned as part of this proposed reauthorization effort.

ASWA 2026 also has a more elaborate ‘Performance Accountability’ section with greater data and reporting requirements for local workforce boards and eligible training providers. NAWB is continuing to review this section carefully for implications for workforce development board operations.

Process Update

This is only the first step in the wider legislative process. Following introduction, we expect that the House Education and Workforce Committee will schedule a markup of the legislation in the coming weeks, providing Committee members with a chance to amend and vote on the bill. If the bill is approved by the Committee, it would then be eligible for House floor consideration.

Given the historically slim majorities in the House and Senate, a partisan WIOA proposal will have a difficult time advancing given the current institutional constraints within Congress.

NAWB remains engaged with key Committee Members and staff throughout consideration.

Next Steps

As we continue to review the ASWA 2026 text, we will keep NAWB members updated on impacts to the workforce development delivery system.