Today, the House will vote on H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. This shortsighted, job-killing legislation doubles down on a flawed 80-year-old system, encourages union giveaways, and limits employers’ abilities to create apprenticeship programs that meet the unique needs of their workers.
On the House floor today, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Republican Leader of the Education and Labor Committee, delivered the following remarks:
"I rise today in opposition to H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, which impedes the ability of businesses and employers to fill in-demand jobs.
"Legislation deserves a proper, thorough, and bipartisan examination, which is why the House has long established procedures to do just that.
"Those procedures respect the majority and minority and ensure that both sides are represented. Democrats are ignoring these procedures and bringing this bill straight to the floor, steamrolling the committee of jurisdiction.
"Time and again Speaker Pelosi has shown more interest in 'our way or the highway' governing than upholding the deliberative process of the People’s House.
"Rushing a bill to the House Floor without committee consideration simply because we’ve gaveled in a new Congress and need something to fill time on the Floor isn’t a suitable path forward under any circumstances.
"This is particularly frustrating considering the bipartisan agreement that our nation’s apprenticeship system needs to be updated to provide more opportunities for hardworking Americans.
"H.R. 447 closes pathways to work for students and job seekers at a time when our nation is in desperate need of getting more Americans back to work.
"In recent years steps were taken to increase the number of high-quality apprenticeships and introduce innovation into work-based learning programs.
"For example, the Trump administration created Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs), which provide another avenue for companies seeking skilled workers who want to develop programs with more input from other industry leaders rather than from the federal government.
"Democrats like to say that IRAPs are 'untried' or 'untested.' Other words for that are 'new' and 'innovative.'
"This bill would take away opportunities for the 131 IRAPs that have been recognized in the last four months, the vast majority of which are for nursing credentials.
"Limiting nursing credentials during a global pandemic is idiotic.
"By prohibiting these innovative programs, the bill assumes that a registered program that works for one employer will meet the diverse needs of every business across the country, regardless of size or industry.
"In fiscal year 2019, 252,000 individuals entered apprenticeships but only 81,000 graduated from the registered system.
"In fact, there have been over 190,000 new apprentices every year since 2015, but only 81,000 graduate in a year from the registered system. That’s a graduation rate of 43 percent at best.
"Democrats refer to this program as the 'gold standard!' Lord help us if this is the gold standard.
"Clearly, there is room to improve the registered system, make space for employer-led innovation, and get more Americans back to work.
"Instead, Democrats assume that simply throwing more taxpayer dollars at a broken system will lead to the creation of a million new apprenticeships.
"But they have failed to address the underlying problems with the system, and along the way are shutting down a new, more flexible option that businesses have already found appealing.
"Stifling innovation and doubling down on an 80-year-old system that favors union driven apprenticeships will hurt our efforts to get more Americans back to work.
"Yet, language included in the underlying legislation favors grant funding for entities partnering with unions.
"Turning the bill’s grant program into a union slush fund would also block countless potential participants from accessing grant money.
"Even worse, H.R. 447 will force job creators to deal with overly prescriptive requirements, additional bureaucracy, and time-consuming paperwork on top of the one-size-fits-all approach. It’s no wonder this stifling environment has discouraged new and small businesses from participating in the registered apprenticeship system.
"Employers know best what skills their employees require to excel in the workplace. That is why Republicans believe Congress should encourage employer-led innovation in the apprenticeship space.
"Unfortunately, today’s legislation falls woefully short. We know that apprenticeships will play a defining role in closing the skills gap and putting more Americans to work, but only if employees and job creators are given the flexibility to innovate and develop high-quality earn-and-learn programs without overreach from Washington."
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