Department of Labor briefs Commerce & Economic Development committee on technical updates to H.803 apprenticeship law

Jay Ramsey, director of workforce development at the Department of Labor, briefed the Commerce & Economic Development committee on proposed technical updates to H.803 and said the department sent the committee a January 2024 memorandum outlining suggested edits.

Ramsey said the bulk of the changes are stylistic or clarifying, not substantive. “Most of this committee was not in place at that time,” Ramsey told members, describing the department’s effort to update language adopted after the 2023 apprenticeship law. He said the department proposes using 2023 as the benchmark year for apprenticeship data because a new data system and the 2023 law change the underlying reporting universe.

A central drafting choice would remove a long enumerated list of protected demographic categories and instead adopt cross‑cutting “lenses” — such as rural areas, access to high‑speed internet, veterans and people who face barriers — that Ramsey said would align state language with federal protections and improve clarity for implementers. Ramsey framed the change as an alignment exercise: lawmakers would not be removing protections but changing how they are described so the statute reads more clearly.

Ramsey also described data and privacy choices in the draft. The text moves Social Security number fields to an optional data section; Ramsey said the department wants “individuals to control how that information is shared.” He warned that when people decline to provide SSNs the state can be limited in reporting outcomes or matching records in the national apprenticeship database, but he noted employers who pay wages will generally collect SSNs for payroll and tax purposes.

The draft distinguishes certified pre‑apprenticeship programs from registered apprenticeships and formalizes a state certification process Ramsey said the department has already begun: “There are four programs in this area, but it’s just certifying and putting it on the books that this program exists and that it’s connected with these employers,” he said. Ramsey said the advisory board’s duties would be expanded to pay attention to where apprenticeship programs register and who registers as apprentices — part of the effort to ensure access in rural and underserved communities.

Committee members asked for clearer language on credits, advanced standing and what counts as an education component from CTE (career technical education) providers. Ramsey recommended clearer drafting to indicate whether credit refers to hours, coursework or credentials and to ensure schools and employers understand whether programs award academic credit or only recognize prior learning.

Ramsey said the department will continue convening schools, tech centers and adult education providers as it refines youth‑apprenticeship and pre‑apprenticeship definitions and will return as needed with updates. He also said the department plans to submit a five‑year strategic plan this summer and pushed the timing of a statutory five‑year reporting requirement from 2024 to 2026 to accommodate ongoing work.

Next steps: staff will continue drafting clarifications and may return with more changes after further consultation with schools and providers. The committee did not take a formal vote during this briefing.