VOTES IN THE U.S. HOUSE
HR 8294: EXPANDING FEDERALLY FUNDEDAPPRENTICESHIPS
Voting 246 for and 140 against, the House on Friday passed a bill that would authorize $3.5 billion over five years to expand federally funded apprenticeship programs. While the bill would prepare workers for jobs in traditional industries such as manufacturing, transportation and construction, it also would fund instruction and on-the-job training for specialized fields such as early childhood education, advanced health care and green energy. In addition, the bill would promote work opportunities for persons with diverse backgrounds and criminal records traditionally left out of apprenticeship programs. The bill drew Republican opposition, in part, because it quashed the Trump administration’s Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, which receive federal funding but operate with few regulations and are not welcoming to unions. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.
Yes: Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st (Bucks, parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia); Madeleine Dean, D-4th (Montgomery, parts of Berks); Susan Wild, D-7th (Lehigh, Northampton, parts of Monroe); Matt Cartwright, D-8th, (most of Monroe)
No: Dan Meuser, R-9th, (Schuylkill, parts of Carbon and Berks)
DEFEATING GOP APPRENTICESHIP PLAN
Voting 142 for and 243 against, the House on Friday defeated a Republican alternative to HR 8294 (above). The amendment sought to shift the focus of federally funded apprenticeships from Department of Labor-registered programs, which issue nationally recognized work credentials and allow extensive union involvement, toward regional business-run Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, which receive taxpayerfundingbutoperatewithfewfederal rules and diminished or nonexistent union participation. The GOP measure also would slash funding levels in the underlying bill and endcoordinationbetweenthedepartmentsof laborandeducationinstructuringapprenticeships. Ayes vote was to adopt the GOPplan. Yes: Meuser
No: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright