I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 399 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to support the development of pre-appren-
ticeship programs in the building and construction trades that serve 
underrepresented populations, including individuals from low income and 
rural census tracts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 9, 2019 
Mr. NORCROSS (for himself and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to support the development 
of pre-apprenticeship programs in the building and con-
struction trades that serve underrepresented populations, 
including individuals from low income and rural census 
tracts. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pre-Apprenticeships 
To Hardhats Act’’ or the ‘‘PATH Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-APPREN-
TICESHIP PROGRAMS. 
(a) SUPPORT.—The Secretary of Labor shall support 
the development of pre-apprenticeship programs. 
(b) GRANTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Using funds available under 
subsection (i), the Secretary shall make grants on a 
competitive basis to eligible entities to provide the 
Federal share of the cost of carrying out projects 
that support that development. 
(2) PERIOD.—The Secretary shall make initial 
grants under this paragraph for periods of not more 
than 3 years, except that if an eligible entity dem-
onstrates satisfactory performance under paragraph 
(6) by the end of that third year, the Secretary may 
extend the grant period up to an additional 1 year 
for that entity. 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant from the Secretary under this subsection, an 
entity shall be a nonprofit partnership that— 
(A) includes the equal participation of in-
dustry, including public or private employers, 
and labor organizations, including joint labor or 
management training programs, and may in-
clude State and local workforce development 
boards, community-based organizations, edu-
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cational institutions (such as postsecondary 
educational institutions, local educational agen-
cies, State educational agencies, high schools, 
and area career and technical schools), small 
businesses, cooperatives, State and local vet-
erans agencies, and veterans service organiza-
tions; and 
(B) demonstrates— 
(i) experience in implementing and op-
erating worker skills training and edu-
cation programs; 
(ii) the ability to identify and involve 
in training programs carried out under this 
grant, target populations of individuals 
who would benefit from training and be ac-
tively involved in activities related to all 
building and construction trade crafts; and 
(iii) the ability to help individuals 
achieve economic self-sufficiency. 
(4) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give pri-
ority to eligible entities that leverage additional pub-
lic and private resources to fund programs under 
this Act, including cash or in-kind matches from 
participating employers. 
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(4) information about the proposed pre-appren-
ticeship program that demonstrates— 
(A) that the program is in an in-demand 
industry or occupation in the region in which 
the project is located; 
(B) the inclusion of career exploration fo-
cused activities, such as career information ac-
tivities, and re´sume´ preparation, in the pro-
gram; 
(C) if the entity carrying out the project 
includes a high school, that the model to be 
used for the program leads to a high school di-
ploma for participants without such a diploma; 
(D) how the pre-apprenticeship program is 
aligned with and leverages resources of career 
and technical education programs, programs 
and services authorized under the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3101 et seq.), or activities of entities that pro-
vide supportive services for participants in pre- 
apprenticeship programs; and 
(E) that the project aligns with an estab-
lished registered apprenticeship program, in-
cluding that the model used for the program 
leads to the attainment of skills and com-
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petencies necessary for entrance into the reg-
istered apprenticeship program for participants. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this subsection shall use the 
grant funds to carry out a project that implements 
a pre-apprenticeship program. 
(2) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The eligible entity 
shall use the grant funds— 
(A) to pay for the cost of training or edu-
cation associated with a pre-apprenticeship pro-
gram for individuals from an underrepresented 
population; 
(B) for curriculum development that align 
with the requirements of the appropriate reg-
istered apprenticeship programs and learning 
assessments; 
(C) to maintain a connection between the 
pre-apprenticeship program and registered ap-
prenticeship program; 
(D) for assessments of potential partici-
pants for, and enrollment of the participants in, 
the pre-apprenticeship program; and 
(E) to conduct evaluations described in 
subsection (f)(2). 
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(3) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—The eligible enti-
ty may use the grant funds for— 
(A) stipends for participants during work- 
based training in the program; 
(B) coordination of activities under this 
subsection with activities carried out under the 
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Edu-
cation Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) or 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); and 
(C) drug testing of potential participants. 
(e) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of the 
cost described in subsection (b)(1) shall be 75 per-
cent. 
(2) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The eligible entity 
may contribute the non-Federal share of the cost in 
cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, 
equipment, or services. 
(f) PERFORMANCE.— 
(1) MEASURES.—The Secretary shall identify a 
set of common measures that, at a minimum, in-
clude measures of entry into a registered apprentice-
ship program and that are aligned with performance 
accountability measures described in section 116(c) 
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of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3141(c)) for the local workforce develop-
ment area and with corresponding measures under 
the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), as appro-
priate. 
(2) EVALUATIONS.—Each eligible entity that 
receives a grant to carry out a project under this 
subsection shall arrange for another qualified entity 
to conduct an evaluation, or shall participate in a 
Department of Labor sponsored evaluation, of the 
project using the identified common measures, and 
shall, to the extent practicable, cooperate with the 
evaluator in any evaluations of activities carried out 
under this section. 
(3) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary shall use the 
results of an evaluation for a project to determine 
whether to extend the grant period, or renew a 
grant, for the project under subsection (b)(2). 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) AREA CAREER AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL.— 
The term ‘‘area career and technical school’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Carl D. 
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)). 
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(2) HIGH
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high school’’ 
means a nonprofit institutional day or residential 
school that— 
(A) provides secondary education, as deter-
mined under State law; 
(B) grants a diploma, as defined by the 
State; and 
(C) includes, at least, grade 12. 
(3) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA-
TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc-
cupation’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(4) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY; STATE EDU-
CATIONAL AGENCY.—The terms ‘‘local educational 
agency’’ and ‘‘State educational agency’’ have the 
meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801). 
(5) LOCAL AND STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT BOARDS.—The terms ‘‘local workforce devel-
opment board’’ and ‘‘State workforce development 
board’’ have the meanings given the terms ‘‘local 
board’’ and ‘‘State board’’, respectively, in section 3 
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