Title: Veterans’ Entry to Apprenticeship Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Veterans' Entry to Apprenticeship Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide the same amount and type of educational assistance to pre-apprenticeship programs as apprenticeship programs in certain circumstances. A pre-apprenticeship program is designed to prepare individuals to enter an apprenticeship program via education and training.
Under the bill, a pre-apprenticeship program may be treated like an apprenticeship program for purposes of educational assistance if the program complies with state standards or meets other accepted criteria if state standards do not apply. If an individual is not paid as part of a pre-apprenticeship program, they are eligible for a specified amount of housing assistance.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2868 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2868

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans may 
attend pre-apprenticeship programs using certain educational assistance 
 provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 14, 2019

  Ms. McSally introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that veterans may 
attend pre-apprenticeship programs using certain educational assistance 
 provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Entry to Apprenticeship 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAMS OF PRE-APPRENTICESHIP.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding after section 3687 the following new section:
``Sec. 3687A. Programs of pre-apprenticeship
    ``(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), and except as 
provided by subsection (c), the Secretary shall treat a pre-
apprenticeship program as a program of apprenticeship for purposes of 
providing educational assistance.
    ``(b) Approval of Pre-Apprenticeship Program.--A pre-apprenticeship 
program may be covered under subsection (a)--
            ``(1) if the program is recognized under or compliant with 
        any standards for a postsecondary pre-apprenticeship program 
        required by the State in which the program is located; or
            ``(2) in the case of a program for which a State does not 
        require any such standards, if--
                    ``(A) the curriculum of the program is approved by 
                a sponsor and the sponsor certifies to the Secretary 
                that the program will prepare an individual with skills 
                and competencies needed to enroll in a registered 
                apprenticeship program; and
                    ``(B) the program maintains conduct and attendance 
                policies in accordance with a sponsor.
    ``(c) Benefits.--The educational assistance received by a covered 
individual enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program under subsection 
(a) shall be equal to the amount and kind of such assistance received 
by the individual if the individual were enrolled in a program of 
apprenticeship, except that if the individual is not paid as part of 
such program, each monthly allowance for housing payable to the 
individual under such assistance shall be an amount equal to the 
monthly amount of the basic allowance for housing payable under section 
403 of title 37 for a member with dependents in pay grade E-5 residing 
in the military housing area that encompasses all or the majority 
portion of the ZIP code area in which is located the pre-apprenticeship 
program.
    ``(d) Charge to Entitlement.--The entitlement of a covered 
individual pursuing a pre-apprenticeship program under subsection (a) 
shall be charged at a rate equal to the rate charged if the program 
were a program of apprenticeship.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `covered individual' means an individual who 
        is--
                    ``(A) entitled to educational assistance; and
                    ``(B) seeking to use such assistance for a program 
                of apprenticeship.
            ``(2) The term `educational assistance' means educational 
        assistance provided under chapter 30, 32, 33, 34, or 35 of this 
        title or chapter 1606 of title 10.
            ``(3) The term `pre-apprenticeship program' means a program 
        or set of objectives--
                    ``(A) designed to prepare individuals to enter and 
                succeed in a registered apprenticeship program; and
                    ``(B) that has a documented partnership with at 
                least one sponsor.
            ``(4) The term `registered apprenticeship program' means an 
        apprenticeship program registered with the Office of 
        Apprenticeship of the Employment Training Administration of the 
        Department of Labor or a State apprenticeship agency recognized 
        by the Office of Apprenticeship pursuant to the Act of August 
        16, 1937 (popularly known as the `National Apprenticeship Act'; 
        29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
            ``(5) The term `sponsor', with respect to a pre-
        apprenticeship program, means an entity that formally supports 
        the pre-apprenticeship program, including--
                    ``(A) a registered apprenticeship program;
                    ``(B) a department or agency of a State or local 
                government;
                    ``(C) an institution of higher learning; or
                    ``(D) any other public, private, or nonprofit 
                entity that the Secretary determines to be a sponsor 
                for purposes of this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
3687 the following new item:

``3687A. Programs of pre-apprenticeship.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--Section 3687A of title 38, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to an individual 
who enrolls in a program of pre-apprenticeship described in such 
section beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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