# Summary of the National Apprenticeship Act of 2023
This proposed legislation establishes a comprehensive framework to modernize and expand apprenticeship programs in the United States, creating a National Apprenticeship System designed to address current workforce needs and increase opportunities for underrepresented populations.
## Key Provisions
### System Framework
- Establishes clear quality standards for apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth apprenticeship programs
- Requires programs to meet specific criteria including:
- Minimum 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning (with flexibility for some occupations)
- Structured related instruction (minimum 144 hours per year for time-based programs)
- Progressive wage scales
- Safety training and equipment
- Equal opportunity for participation
### Program Types
- **Apprenticeship Programs**: Time-based, competency-based, or hybrid models for full-time workers
- **Pre-apprenticeship Programs**: Designed to prepare individuals without meeting minimum qualifications for apprenticeship
- **Youth Apprenticeship Programs**: For high school students, integrating academic and work-based learning
### Diversity & Inclusion Requirements
- Requires programs to actively recruit and support nontraditional apprenticeship populations:
- Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities
- Long-term unemployed
- Individuals impacted by the criminal or juvenile justice system
- Foster and former foster youth
- Individuals with barriers to employment
### Registration & Oversight
- Requires formal registration of programs with a registration agency
- Mandates annual performance data collection and reporting
- Establishes procedures for program review, technical assistance, and deregistration
### Grant Program (Title II)
- Authorizes $4 billion over five years ($400M-$800M annually) for competitive grants
- Funds will support:
- Creation and expansion of apprenticeship programs in high-demand sectors
- Encouraging employer participation, particularly with small- and medium-sized businesses
- Supporting intermediaries (national and local)
- Strengthening educational alignment with secondary and postsecondary systems
### Evaluation Requirements
- Mandates independent evaluations of grant programs
- Requires collection of disaggregated data by program type and demographic factors
- Focuses on measuring outcomes including:
- Program completion rates
- Employment rates in related fields
- Wage growth
- Increased participation of underrepresented groups
### Conforming Amendments
- Repeals outdated sections of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998
- Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to align with the new apprenticeship system
This legislation represents a significant investment in workforce development, aiming to create a more inclusive, high-quality apprenticeship system that responds to 21st-century labor market needs while expanding opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.
This bill requires the Department of Defense to provide free, regular cancer screenings for its firefighters during annual health check-ups. It mandates specific screenings: mammograms for female firefighters (biannually for ages 40-49, annually for 50+), colon cancer tests for those 40+ (stool tests or visual exams for 45+), and prostate screenings for male firefighters (annual for 50+, high-risk individuals like African American firefighters or those with family history, or as clinically needed). Firefighters can opt out of any screening, and the program tracks participation rates and cancer trends while removing personal identifiers from data shared with the CDC for research. The law focuses on early detection for cancers linked to firefighting risks, with no cost to firefighters.
HR 2802, the Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act, requires colleges and universities to include suicide prevention contact information on student identification cards. Specifically, institutions must list the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and their campus mental health center on new ID cards. Schools that don't issue ID cards must post this information on their websites instead. The requirement takes effect one year after the bill's enactment.
HR 2800, the Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act, authorizes a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to honor Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds for his actions during World War II. The bill directs the Treasury Secretary to strike a gold medal commemorating Edmonds' bravery, specifically his defiance of Nazi orders to separate Jewish-American prisoners at Stalag IX-A, which saved approximately 200 lives. The medal will be presented to Edmonds' son, Pastor Christopher Waring Edmonds, or his next of kin, with bronze duplicates available for sale to cover costs. This is a commemorative measure recognizing Edmonds' service, not a policy change affecting current legislation or programs.
HR 2541, the Ensuring Safer Schools Act of 2023, modifies federal COPS grants to prioritize hiring veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers (SROs). It adds preferential consideration for grant applications focused on this hiring, requires annual mental health screenings and training for SROs, and mandates annual student engagement activities by SROs. The bill directly affects schools receiving COPS grants, veterans seeking SRO roles, and law enforcement agencies partnering with schools. It also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to connect veterans with local SRO programs. These changes adjust existing grant rules without creating new funding or altering school safety protocols.
This bill requires the CDC to collect and publicly share information about concussions and brain injuries affecting public safety officers (including police, firefighters, and emergency responders). It directs the CDC to update its website with this information and develop targeted resources for medical professionals, employers, mental health providers, and families. The CDC must also consult with these groups to ensure the information meets their needs and support the creation of model treatment guidelines through grants. The law aims to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies for brain injuries in this workforce.
This resolution supports the designation of Second Chance Month to promote awareness of unnecessary legal and social barriers that prevent individuals with criminal records from becoming productive members of society.
This resolution condemns the deliberate gas attacks on schoolgirls in Iran (up to 7,000 schoolgirls were poisoned in at least 290 attacks, according to human rights groups) and Iran's suppression of individuals participating in demonstrations. The resolution also urges the United States to initiate a formal process for an independent investigation and to work with the United Nations in investigating the gas attacks on schoolgirls in Iran.
The Defend Our Networks Act transfers $3.08 billion in unused pandemic relief funds (from bills like the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan) to the Commission for its Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Program. These funds will merge with existing program appropriations and remain available until spent, following the same rules as current funding. The bill also adjusts a funding cap in the 2019 law, increasing it from $1.9 billion to $4.98 billion. This is a procedural funding transfer, directly affecting the Commission's program operations, not the public or new policy changes.
The Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act (S 1237) would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exclude specific family-owned assets from being counted when calculating a student's financial need for federal aid. It directly affects students from families owning a farm where they reside or a small business (with 100 or fewer full-time employees) that is family-controlled. The bill adds explicit exemptions for these assets in the financial aid formula, removing their value from asset calculations. This change would increase eligibility for need-based aid like Pell Grants for affected students without altering other aid program rules.
The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act amends federal criminal statutes to clarify legal standards and increase penalties for specific violent crimes. It clarifies that assaults on federal officers are general intent crimes (removing the need to prove defendants specifically intended to harm officers), increases carjacking penalties to 20 years for first offenses (up from 15) and up to 40 years when weapons are used, and creates a new offense for distributing candy-flavored controlled substances to minors with penalties of up to 20 years for repeat violations. The bill also updates sentencing guidelines to require a 2-level enhancement for the new candy-flavored drug offense. These changes apply to existing federal criminal codes without creating new crime categories beyond the specified provisions.
Ending Duplicative Subsidies for Electric Vehicles Act This bill prohibits duplicative subsidies (i.e., loans, grants, or tax credits) for manufacturers of new clean electric vehicles.
