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Committee advances bill to create state registered-apprenticeship office and programs, fiscal note trimmed
Summary
Senate Bill 431 would establish the Maryland Office of Registered Apprenticeship Development and related programs; committee amendment reduced the fiscal note to $1.5 million annually and removed an auto-licensure provision.
Senate Bill 431, which would establish the Maryland Office of Registered Apprenticeship Development, related intermediary and pay-per-apprentice programs, and an advisory board within the Maryland Department of Labor, was reported favorably by the Economic Matters Committee after amendments.
Committee members debated scope and cost. Staff summarized changes made since the House version: removal of an automatic licensure provision for plumbing and adjustments to ratios that had been points of negotiation between labor groups and the administration. An advisory board addition was noted as a new element in the current draft.
A revised fiscal note presented during the hearing placed the cost at $1.5 million for the first year and $1.5 million annually thereafter. "The fiscal note is $1,500,000 for the current year and will be $1,500,000 moving forward," a committee staffer said. Some members said they support apprenticeship programs but questioned whether unions and existing apprenticeship infrastructure already cover similar functions; one member said that concern led to a planned "no" vote, citing union-run programs and dues funding.
Opponents raised cost concerns. "It's expensive," one member said during the fiscal discussion. Supporters argued the program would centralize and expand apprenticeship capacity and establish an advisory board and intermediary program to coordinate employers, training providers and apprentices.
Committee discussion also covered technical differences between the House and Senate versions. Sponsors said the administration sought to provide amendments to the Senate version before crossover to match the House-passed language.
The committee moved the amended bill favorably after discussion and a recorded vote; the transcript shows the motion carried. The committee did not provide detailed program implementation timelines or the specific uses of the $1.5 million special fund in the hearing recorded in the transcript.
