Labor & Employment (Professional Licensing)

HR 6524, the HIRE Act, extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) through 2030 and adds a new provision to incentivize hiring individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits. The bill directly affects employers who hire people certified as eligible for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act within 60 days before employment. Key provisions include modifying the tax credit to cover "qualified social security disability insurance beneficiaries" and requiring certification by a local agency for eligibility. The changes apply to new hires beginning work after December 31, 2025, with the credit extension applying through 2030.

HR 5806, the Pre-Apprenticeship Wrap-around Support Services Fund Act of 2025, provides federal grants to organizations running pre-apprenticeship programs to offer stipends directly to participants. These stipends cover specific costs like transportation, lost wages from reduced work hours, and industry certification fees, primarily targeting individuals facing employment barriers. The bill requires grantees to track key outcomes - such as program completion rates, job placement in relevant industries, and earnings - within 12 months of program completion. It applies to pre-apprenticeship programs aligned with registered apprenticeships and mandates annual reporting to Congress on program effectiveness. The goal is to reduce financial barriers to entering skilled trades through structured support.

S 3364, the Fast Track Healthcare Apprenticeships Act, streamlines the registration process for healthcare apprenticeship programs. It requires the U.S. Department of Labor to make registration decisions within 45 days (or provide a written delay explanation with a new timeline within 90 days), directly affecting healthcare training programs and applicants. The bill also mandates that all apprenticeship agreement forms (including employer and disability forms) be digitized. It defines "health care field" to include occupations like nurses, technicians, and support staff as classified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These changes aim to simplify administrative processes for healthcare apprenticeships under the National Apprenticeship Act.

Validate Prior Learning to Accelerate Employment Act This bill incorporates assessments that measure an individual's prior knowledge, skills, competencies, and experiences into specified state and local employment training activities under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. An assessment may be used, for example, to award a recognized postsecondary credential that employers use for recruitment, hiring, retention, or advancement purposes.

This bill requires federal contractors and their subcontractors to annually certify whether they or their subcontractors have been found liable for child labor violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act within the past three years. Entities that fail to address such violations face exclusion from federal contracts for at least four years, with their names publicly listed in the System for Award Management. The law mandates that contractors submit these certifications as part of the bidding process, and agencies must withhold contracts from non-compliant entities or those using non-compliant subcontractors. It also increases civil penalties for child labor violations in federal contracting and directs a GAO study on the prevalence of such violations among contractors.