I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1660
To amend the National Apprenticeship Act to provide that applications relat-
ing to apprenticeship programs are processed in a fair and timely man-
ner, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 8, 2003
Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. HINOJOSA, and Mr. MCKEON) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the National Apprenticeship Act to provide that 
applications relating to apprenticeship programs are 
processed in a fair and timely manner, and for other 
purposes.
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 ‘‘Apprenticeship En-
hancement Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to promote accountability 
and fairness in the approval of apprenticeship programs
and registration of apprentices and to provide for the cer-
tification and registration of all apprenticeship programs 
in a timely and efficient manner. 
SEC. 3. ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE APPROVAL AND REG-
ISTRATION OF APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. 
The National Apprenticeship Act (29 U.S.C. 50 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section: 
‘‘SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND JUDICIAL RE-
VIEW. 
‘‘(a) PROCEDURES REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 
Labor shall ensure the following: 
‘‘(1) That for each apprenticeship application 
submitted to an entity responsible for rendering de-
cisions with respect to that application (such as a 
State Apprenticeship Council or Bureau of Appren-
ticeship and Training)—
‘‘(A) that entity shall render a decision on 
that application before the expiration of the pe-
riod of 90 calendar days beginning on the date 
on which that application was submitted; or 
‘‘(B) if that entity cannot comply with sub-
paragraph (A), that entity shall provide written 
notice to the applicant of the status of the ap-
plication, and render a decision on that applica-
tion before the expiration of the period of 120 
calendar days beginning on the date on which 
that application was submitted; or 
‘‘(C) if that entity cannot comply with sub-
paragraph (B), the application shall be deemed 
a petition for review filed under paragraph (4) 
by the applicant on the date after the expiration 
of the period referred to in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(2) That each decision described in paragraph 
(1) shall be rendered without sole regard to whether 
persons not directly participating in or sponsoring 
the application object to the application. 
‘‘(3) That each decision described in paragraph 
(1) shall be promptly provided to all concerned par-
ties in a writing that sets forth clearly the factual 
and legal basis for the decision. 
‘‘(4) That any applicant aggrieved by a decision 
rendered under paragraph (1) shall be entitled to file 
a petition for review from that decision before the 
Secretary or the Secretary’s designee within the De-
partment of Labor, which shall be independent of 
the entity rendering that decision. 
‘‘(5) That in the event of any factual dispute on 
a petition for review, the applicant may request an 
adjudicatory hearing, which shall be conducted on
the record pursuant to sections 554, 556, and 557 
of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(6) That the Secretary (or designee, if applica-
ble) shall, before the expiration of the period of 30 
days beginning on the date that the applicant filed 
the petition for review (or, if the applicant requested 
an adjudicatory hearing, the date of the end of that 
hearing), make a final determination and deliver a 
copy of that determination to all concerned parties. 
Such final determination shall be binding on the en-
tity responsible for rendering the decision under 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(7) That if the Secretary (or designee, if appli-
cable) fails to make such final determination before 
the expiration of such period, such final determina-
tion shall be deemed to be to approve the applica-
tion. 
‘‘(b) JUDICIAL
REVIEW.—A final determination 
under subsection (a)(6) shall be binding on the applicant 
unless the affected applicant files a petition for judicial 
review of that final determination. Judicial review of that 
determination shall be on the record on which the final 
determination is based. 
‘‘(c) APPRENTICESHIP APPLICATION.—For purposes 
of this section, the term ‘apprenticeship application’ in-