,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cdde ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #aa1 #bjbj,mr4 ,young 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,casey1 and ,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,labor to award grants to develop1 administer1 and evaluate early childhood education apprenticeships1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,early ,educators ,apprenticeship ,act4 #b4 ,grants for apprenticeship programs 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,apprentice ,the term apprentice means an individual participating in a registered apprenticeship program focused on early childhood education4 7#b7 ,apprenticeship ,except when used in referring to or defining the term registered apprenticeship program1 the term apprenticeship means a registered apprenticeship program that trains apprentices4 7#c7 ,credential or degree ,the term credential or degree means a recognized secondary or postsecondary credential1 a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent1 or a postsecondary degree 7including an associate1 baccalaureate1 or other degree74 7#d7 ,eligible partnership ,the term eligible partnership means a partnership that-- 7,a7 includes an individual employer or a consortium of employers 7including schools and child care centers and family child care providers71 and an institution of higher education2 and 7,b7 may include one or more-- 7i7 labor organizations2 7ii7 workforce intermediaries2 7iii7 economic development agencies2 7iv7 community-based organizations2 7v7 ,state educational agencies or local educational agencies1 as such terms are defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja72 and 7vi7 providers of support or specialized services for apprentices4 7#e7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja1 and subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of section #ajb7;a77#a71 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja1 #ajjb7;a77#a774 7#f7 ,registered apprenticeship program ,the term registered apprenticeship program means an apprenticeship program registered under the ,act of ,august #af1 #aicg 7commonly known as the ,national ,apprenticeship ,act2 #bi ,u4,s4,c4 #ej et seq471 including any requirement1 standard1 or rule promulgated under such ,act as in effect on ,december #cj1 #bjai4 7#g7 ,secretary ,except as otherwise specifically provided1 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,labor4 7#h7 ,state ,the term ,state means each of the several ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 and the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico4 7b7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services and the ,secretary of ,education1 shall award grants to eligible partnerships to pay the ,federal share of the costs of developing1 administering1 and evaluating apprenticeships4 7c7 ,application ,an eligible partnership seeking a grant under this ,act shall submit an application to the ,secretary for approval at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7d7 ,uses of funds 7#a7 ,required uses ,a grant under subsection 7b7 shall be used for activities that develop1 administer1 and evaluate an apprenticeship1 including-- 7,a7 equipping apprentices with specialized knowledge1 skills1 and competencies required to work in early childhood education2 7,b7 increasing the number of individuals who complete an apprenticeship program and obtain a credential or degree or a certificate of completion of an apprenticeship program1 including increasing such number in areas that are underserved or rural2 7,c7 promoting recruitment and retention of apprentices2 7,d7 providing a pathway to career advancement for apprentices by assisting such apprentices in completing an apprenticeship2 7,e7 providing for evaluation and longitudinal data regarding apprentices participating in the program to determine long-term outcomes1 including information needed for purposes of subsections 7g7 and 7i72 7,f7 supporting partnerships with institutions of higher education in the ,state in which the eligible partnership serves1 or will serve1 apprentices1 businesses1 and other entities participating in an apprenticeship to provide for-- 7i7 the award of postsecondary academic credit for related instruction or on-the-job training provided through the apprenticeship2 and 7ii7 the application of such credit toward a credential or degree from an institution in the partnership2 and 7,g7 developing strategies to hire and retain qualified supervisors for apprentices that support such apprentices through-- 7i7 professional development2 7ii7 mentorship2 7iii7 evaluation2 and 7iv7 training4 7#b7 ,permitted uses ,in addition to the requirements under paragraph 7#a71 a grant under subsection 7b7 may be used-- 7,a7 in cooperation with the ,state agency responsible for apprenticeships in the ,state in which the eligible partnership serves or will serve apprentices1 to create or maintain a statewide resource database for businesses1 institutions of higher education1 or other entities participating in an apprenticeship to share best practices1 curricula1 and other resources that directly contribute to administering an effective apprenticeship2 7,b7 to establish primary indicators of performance with respect to apprentices and individuals who have completed an apprenticeship to be shared on any workforce registry of such ,state and the registered apprenticeship program data system maintained by the ,secretary of ,labor1 including-- 7i7 the percentage of individuals who have completed an apprenticeship and remain employed full-time in early childhood education-- 7,i7 #f months after completing such apprenticeship2 and 7,,ii7 #a year after completing such apprenticeship2 7ii7 the median earnings of individuals who have completed an apprenticeship and are employed full-time in early childhood education within #f months after completing such apprenticeship2 7iii7 the percentage of apprentices who obtain a credential or degree while participating in an apprenticeship2 and 7iv7 the percentage of individuals who have completed an apprenticeship and who begin or obtain a credential or degree within #a year after completing the apprenticeship2 and 7,c7 to pay the costs of tuition and fees for apprentices enrolled in programs of education leading to a credential or degree4 7e7 ,priority ,the ,secretary shall prioritize eligible partnerships that-- 7#a7 include in the eligible partnership1 or have developed partnerships1 with-- 7,a7 ,indian ,tribes in such ,state2 or 7,b7 institutions of higher education that serve minority populations2 7#b7 operate or serve an apprenticeship program in a ,state that has a statewide credit articulation agreement in place that ensures credit transfer between participating institutions of higher education in the ,state and other relevant credential programs2 or 7#c7 provide an assurance that not less than #be percent of the grant funds will be used to support apprenticeships in underserved or rural communities4 7f7 ,grant term and limitation 7#a7 ,term ,the term of a grant made under this ,act shall be #c years4 7#b7 ,limitation ,the ,secretary shall award no greater than #bj grants under this section each fiscal year4 7g7 ,grant recipient evaluation and report ,not later than #a year after receiving a grant under this ,act1 and annually thereafter for the duration of the grant1 an eligible partnership shall submit to the ,secretary a report containing-- 7#a7 an evaluation of the eligible partnership's apprenticeships to determine which program strategies made progress toward-- 7,a7 increasing the aggregate number of apprentices2 and 7,b7 increasing the retention rates of apprentices2 and 7#b7 the number of individuals served by the grant who are enrolled in1 or completed1 an educational credential1 in the aggregate and disaggregated by type of credential or degree 7including secondary school diploma1 the recognized equivalent of a secondary school diploma1 a certificate1 a credential1 an associate degree1 baccalaureate degree1 and any other category of secondary or postsecondary credential7 and as applicable1 by specific educational program within the credential or degree 7including1 if applicable1 a child development associate credential74 7h7 ,cost-,sharing 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,federal share of the cost of any activity carried out using a grant made under this ,act shall be not more than #ge percent4 7#b7 ,in-kind contributions ,the non-,federal share of the total cost of any activity carried out using a grant made under this ,act may be in the form of donations or in-kind contributions of goods or services fairly valued4 7i7 ,report ,not later than #e years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the effectiveness of each eligible partnership that received a grant under this ,act to develop1 administer1 and evaluate apprenticeships1 including evaluating-- 7#a7 an increase in the number of apprentices in early childhood education2 7#b7 an increase in the retention rates of individuals who work in early childhood education after completing an apprenticeship2 7#c7 the career path of apprentices and individuals who have completed an apprenticeship2 and 7#d7 an increase in the number of credentials and degrees obtained by apprentices4 7j7 ,funding ,to carry out the grant program under this ,act1 the ,secretary shall use amounts allocated under section #dad7;c7 of the ,american ,competitiveness and ,workforce ,improvement ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cbbd;a74 #c4 ,department of ,agriculture loan restrictions ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall revise section #ceee4ajb7;c7 of title #g1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 to exclude a business that is a licensed child care provider4