The House on Friday passed a bill that would revamp the nation’s main apprenticeship law, even managing to secure votes from some Republicans.
In a 246-to-140 vote, Democrats passed their 2020 National Apprenticeship Act, with 15 Republicans voting for the measure. Earlier this week, the House Rules Committee passed the legislation along party lines. The same happened when the House Education and Labor Committee passed the measure in September.
The Senate doesn’t have a companion bill so the measure won’t likely pass Congress this year. However, advocates of the proposed legislation hope it will muster more support from Republicans if Democrats reintroduce the measure in the next Congress.
During floor debate of H.R. 8294 on Thursday and Friday, both parties lauded apprenticeships. But Republicans argued the bill is missing an opportunity to expand apprenticeships by not permitting federal funding for programs such as industry-recognized apprenticeship programs (IRAPs).