Federal grants remove cost barriers to apprenticeship training for low-income workers
H.R. 5806 — Pre-Apprenticeship Wrap-around Support Services Fund Act of 2025 · Filed by Adam Smith (D-WA) · Introduced Oct 21, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a federal grant program through the Department of Labor to fund stipends for people enrolled in pre-apprenticeship programs—training designed to prepare workers for registered apprenticeships. Grants go to eligible organizations (schools, nonprofits, labor-management partnerships) that partner with apprenticeship sponsors. Stipends reimburse participants for transportation, lost wages during training, and certification costs, with priority given to people facing employment barriers. Grantees must track outcomes like enrollment rates, employment, and earnings.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward federal grant program designed to reduce financial barriers to apprenticeship entry for disadvantaged workers. It is a public-investment mechanism in human capital and labor-market access, not a tax provision, deregulation, or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- Stipend amounts are not specified in the bill, leaving actual support levels to DOL discretion and future appropriations—participants' actual financial relief depends on implementation.
- The bill prioritizes but does not mandate support for barrier-facing workers, meaning organizations could theoretically serve primarily non-barrier populations if not closely monitored.
- Success metrics focus on 12-month outcomes, which may not capture longer-term apprenticeship completion or wage growth beyond the initial period.
- Formal agreements between pre-apprenticeship providers and apprenticeship sponsors are required but the bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms if sponsors fail to accept graduates.
Who it affects
The bill directly supports low-income and barrier-facing workers by removing financial obstacles to skills training and apprenticeship entry. Stipends for transportation, lost wages, and certification costs reduce the out-of-pocket burden on participants, making apprenticeships accessible to people who cannot afford unpaid training. Outcome tracking ensures accountability and evidence-based program improvement.
Who stands to gain
- pre-apprenticeship program operators
- community-based organizations
- labor-management partnerships
- career and technical education schools
Named in the bill
Department of Labor, House Committee on Education and Workforce, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, National Apprenticeship Act, registered apprenticeship programs, eligible applicants
Where it stands
- Oct 21, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 21, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jun 8, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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