Washington, DC- U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) today introduced a bipartisan bill to reinvigorate America’s apprenticeship programs in our skilled industries. The LEAP Act (H.R. 1774) uses tax incentives to encourage more companies to offer apprenticeship programs.
“Reducing college debt and building a skilled workforce has been a focus of mine since coming to Congress and apprenticeships are part of the solution,” said Davis. “We want more companies to utilize apprenticeships to help reduce college debt and retrain our workforce to take one of the millions of open jobs in this country. The LEAP Act will help us accomplish this important, bipartisan goal."
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“Apprentice programs are a vital tool to help millions of Americans receive the skills necessary to give them a leg up in our hyper-competitive global economy,” said Lipinski. “The LEAP Act addresses head-on the millions of jobs left unfulfilled in the U.S. because companies are unable to find qualified workers. I thank my colleagues Rep. Davis and Rep. Krishnamoorthi for recognizing the importance of this program and working with me to push it through Congress. The bill is a win-win for both employers and employees that would be fully paid for through an offset.”
“Our country must address the growing demand for skilled workers for our workforce to stay competitive in the 21st century global economy,” said Krishnamoorthi. “The bipartisan LEAP Act will help answer this demand by reinvigorating our apprenticeship programs, lowering educational costs, and expanding our workforce.”
Key details of the LEAP Act include:
• Offering a federal tax credit for hiring new apprentices that are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency.
• Addressing the fact that the average age of apprentices is currently as high as 29 by offering a tax credit of $1,500 for apprentices under 25. The tax credit for apprentices over 25 is $1,000.
• Being fully paid for through an offset: cutting printing waste by barring the federal government from producing publications that are available online with an exception for seniors, Medicare recipients and in communities with limited internet access.
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