Bill Text: NY S00037 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Enacts the "learning for work act"; establishes the youth apprenticeship program and the enhanced regents professional diploma; appropriates moneys therefor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S00037 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-S00037-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 37 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. WALCZYK, BORRELLO, OBERACKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to establishing the youth apprenticeship program; and making an appropriation therefor (Part A); to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the enhanced regents professional diploma (Part B); and to amend the tax law, in relation to establishing a youth apprenticeship tax credit (Part C) The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "learning 2 for work act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. According to a recent college 4 and career readiness study released by the New York state education 5 department, only thirty-five percent of high school graduates are 6 college or career ready. This lack of preparedness has driven many high 7 school graduates into low-paying jobs, or college degree programs that 8 they are not interested in, fail to lead to careers and result in an 9 unreasonably high amount of student debt. For many current and future 10 high school students, the traditional pathway of a basic high school 11 education and then on to a four-year college may not be the correct 12 route to take. These students would benefit from a program that would 13 prepare them for employment immediately upon graduating high school. 14 Therefore, the legislature finds it necessary to establish this "learn- 15 ing for work" program in our high schools that will create a youth 16 apprenticeship program, an enhanced regents professional diploma with a 17 designation in a specified occupational area and a tax credit for 18 employers who take part in the youth apprenticeship program. This would 19 further the goals of limiting the accumulation of unsustainable student EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00068-01-5S. 37 2 1 debt, and ensuring all students in the state of New York are prepared to 2 enter the twenty-first century workforce. 3 § 3. This act enacts into law major components of legislation which 4 are necessary to implement the "learning for work act". Each component 5 is wholly contained within a Part identified as Parts A through C. The 6 effective date for each particular provision contained within such Part 7 is set forth in the last section of such Part. Any provision in any 8 section contained within a Part, including the effective date of the 9 Part, which makes a reference to a section "of this act", when used in 10 connection with that particular component, shall be deemed to mean and 11 refer to the corresponding section of the Part in which it is found. 12 Section five of this act sets forth the general effective date of this 13 act. 14 PART A 15 Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new article 23-C to 16 read as follows: 17 ARTICLE 23-C 18 YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM 19 Section 832. Definitions. 20 832-a. Youth apprenticeship program. 21 832-b. Local partnership duties and responsibilities. 22 832-c. Youth apprenticeship program outcome requirements. 23 832-d. Rules and regulations. 24 § 832. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following 25 terms shall have the following meanings: 26 1. "Local partnership" means any combination of one or more school 27 districts, other public agencies, community colleges, not-for-profit 28 organizations, individuals, businesses or other persons, who have agreed 29 to be responsible for implementing and coordinating a local youth 30 apprenticeship program and have received formal recognition from the 31 department. 32 2. "Public agency" means a county, city, village, town or school 33 district or an agency of this state or of a county, city, village, town 34 or school district. 35 § 832-a. Youth apprenticeship program. 1. The department shall estab- 36 lish a youth apprenticeship program. The youth apprenticeship program 37 shall be a one or two year program beginning in grade eleven or twelve 38 and combine academic classroom coursework with mentored on-the-job 39 training in a specified occupational area. Specific requirements for 40 each youth apprenticeship program shall be determined by the respective 41 local partnership responsible for implementing and coordinating a local 42 youth apprenticeship program. 43 2. The state apprenticeship and training council, the state workforce 44 investment board, the board of regents, and the state education depart- 45 ment shall assist the department in providing the youth apprenticeship 46 program under subdivision one of this section. 47 3. The department shall approve occupations and maintain a list of 48 approved occupations for the youth apprenticeship program. 49 4. The youth apprenticeship program created under subdivision one of 50 this section shall not affect any apprenticeship program that is 51 governed by article twenty-three of this chapter except that an appren- 52 ticeship program that is governed by article twenty-three of this chap- 53 ter may grant credit toward the completion of an apprenticeship for theS. 37 3 1 successful completion of a youth apprenticeship under subdivision one of 2 this section. 3 § 832-b. Local partnership duties and responsibilities. 1. From fund- 4 ing under the workforce investment act, Public Law 105-220, and the 5 workforce innovation and opportunity act, Public Law 113-128, the 6 department may award grants to applying local partnerships for the 7 implementation and coordination of local youth apprenticeship programs 8 that are approved by the commissioner. A local partnership that is 9 awarded a grant under this subdivision may use the grant moneys awarded 10 for any of the following implementation and coordination activities: 11 (a) Recruiting employers to provide on-the-job training and super- 12 vision for youth apprentices and providing technical assistance to those 13 employers. 14 (b) Recruiting students to participate in the local youth apprentice- 15 ship program and monitoring the progress of youth apprentices partic- 16 ipating in the program. 17 (c) Coordinating youth apprenticeship training activities within 18 participating school districts and among participating school districts, 19 postsecondary institutions and employers. 20 (d) Coordinating academic, vocational and occupational learning, 21 school-based and work-based learning and secondary and postsecondary 22 education for participants in the local youth apprenticeship program. 23 (e) Assisting employers in identifying and training workplace mentors 24 and matching youth apprentices and mentors. 25 (f) Any other implementation or coordination activity that the depart- 26 ment may direct or permit the local partnership to perform. 27 2. A local partnership that is awarded a grant under subdivision one 28 of this section shall not use any of the grant moneys awarded to provide 29 funding to a business that is operated for profit or to a nonprofit 30 organization that represents business interests, and shall only be used 31 for the implementation of subdivision one of this section. 32 3. The amount of a grant awarded under subdivision one of this section 33 shall not exceed one thousand dollars per youth apprentice. A local 34 partnership that is awarded a grant under subdivision one of this 35 section shall provide matching funds equal to at least twenty-five 36 percent of the grant amount awarded. 37 § 832-c. Youth apprenticeship program outcome requirements. 1. The 38 following outcomes are expected of a local youth apprenticeship program 39 that is funded pursuant to subdivision one of section eight hundred 40 thirty-two-b of this article: 41 (a) At least eighty percent of the youth apprentices who participate 42 in the program shall receive an enhanced regents professional diploma 43 pursuant to section two hundred eight-b of the education law on 44 completion of the youth apprenticeship. 45 (b) At least fifty percent of the youth apprentices who participate in 46 the program shall be offered employment by the employer that provided 47 the on-the-job training for the youth apprentice on completion of the 48 youth apprenticeship. 49 2. Any student taking part in a youth apprenticeship program who 50 receives an enhanced regents professional diploma pursuant to section 51 two hundred eight-b of the education law and is either not offered, or 52 chooses not to seek, employment in their specified occupational area, 53 shall receive a minimum of fifteen credit hours to be applied in pursuit 54 of a postsecondary degree at a state university of New York or city 55 university of New York institution.S. 37 4 1 § 832-d. Rules and regulations. The department shall promulgate all 2 rules and regulations as shall be necessary to administer this article. 3 § 2. The sum of up to five million dollars ($5,000,000), is hereby 4 appropriated to the department of labor for the purpose of carrying out 5 the provisions of this act to be funded by grants under the workforce 6 investment act, Public Law 105-220, and the workforce innovation and 7 opportunity act, Public Law 113-128. Such moneys shall be payable on the 8 audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers certified or approved 9 by the commissioner of the department of labor in the manner prescribed 10 by law. 11 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. 12 PART B 13 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 208-b 14 to read as follows: 15 § 208-b. Enhanced regents professional diploma. 1. The board of 16 regents shall create an enhanced regents professional diploma to 17 acknowledge the professional skills and specific occupational training 18 students obtain in the course of their study. Such degree will include 19 designations as determined by the commissioner that denote the profes- 20 sional skills and specific occupational training obtained by a student. 21 The commissioner shall promulgate regulations regarding the requirements 22 for an enhanced regents professional degree to include: 23 a. completion of a technical assessment; 24 b. completion of a work-skills employability profile; 25 c. completion of a work-based learning experience; and 26 d. meeting all requirements necessary to receive a regents diploma. 27 2. The commissioner, in conjunction with the state apprenticeship and 28 training council, the state workforce investment board, and the depart- 29 ment of labor shall establish professional skill and occupational train- 30 ing designations that may be attached to an enhanced regents profes- 31 sional diploma that shall denote the professional skills a student has 32 obtained throughout the course of such student's studies. 33 3. The commissioner, in conjunction with the state apprenticeship and 34 training council, the state workforce investment board, and the depart- 35 ment of labor shall design a series of technical assessments to test the 36 skills and knowledge students have obtained in their work-based learning 37 experience. The commissioner shall be authorized to include any person 38 or entity that is part of a local partnership of the youth apprentice- 39 ship program, as defined in section eight hundred thirty-two of the 40 labor law, in any and all efforts to design technical assessments. 41 4. The commissioner, in conjunction with the state apprenticeship and 42 training council, the state workforce investment board, and the depart- 43 ment of labor shall create a work-skill employability profile for use by 44 employers and/or educators to document a student's professional skills 45 and specific occupational training. 46 5. The board of regents shall promulgate such regulations of the 47 commissioner as may be necessary to establish an enhanced regents 48 professional diploma, implement the requirements herein, and establish 49 standards for work-based learning experiences including requirements for 50 verification and eligibility. 51 6. The youth apprenticeship program as defined in article 52 twenty-three-C of the labor law shall be considered an eligible work- 53 based learning experience.S. 37 5 1 7. Students first entering ninth grade in the two thousand twenty- 2 five--two thousand twenty-six school year and thereafter shall be eligi- 3 ble to earn an enhanced regents professional diploma. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. 5 PART C 6 Section 1. Section 210-B of the tax law is amended by adding a new 7 subdivision 61 to read as follows: 8 61. Youth apprenticeship tax credit. (a) Allowance of credit. A 9 taxpayer shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed by this arti- 10 cle provided that such taxpayer takes part in the youth apprenticeship 11 program, pursuant to article twenty-three-C of the labor law. 12 (b) Amount of credit. The amount of the credit shall be equal to one 13 thousand five hundred dollars for each apprentice the participating 14 employer sponsors. 15 (c) Application of credit. The credit allowed under this subdivision 16 for any taxable year shall not reduce the tax due for that year to less 17 than the higher of the amounts prescribed in paragraph (d) of subdivi- 18 sion one of section two hundred ten of this article. 19 § 2. Section 606 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subsection 20 (qqq) to read as follows: 21 (qqq) Youth apprenticeship tax credit. (1) Allowance of credit. A 22 taxpayer shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed by this arti- 23 cle provided that such taxpayer takes part in the youth apprenticeship 24 program, pursuant to article twenty-three-C of the labor law. 25 (2) Amount of credit. The amount of the credit shall be equal to one 26 thousand five hundred dollars for each apprentice the participating 27 employer sponsors. 28 (3) Application of credit. If the amount of credit allowed under this 29 subsection for any taxable year exceeds the taxpayer's tax for such 30 year, the excess will not be treated as an overpayment of tax and will 31 not be credited or refunded in accordance with the provisions of section 32 six hundred eighty-six of this article. 33 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to taxable 34 years beginning on and after January 1, 2025. 35 § 4. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi- 36 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of 37 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 38 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in 39 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section 40 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg- 41 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of 42 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such 43 invalid provisions had not been included herein. 44 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that 45 the applicable effective dates of Parts A through C of this act shall be 46 as specifically set forth in the last section of such Parts.
