Bill · S. 4409· Senate(119-S-4409)
START Act
- Introduced
- 4/28/2026
- Last activity
- 4/28/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Jim Banks
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The START Act seeks to clarify the registration process for registered apprenticeship programs. It establishes a national apprenticeship system managed by the Secretary of Labor to review program standards. The bill implements specific timelines for responding to complete or incomplete program standards. It also creates an apprenticeship grant program to provide funds to States for training, outreach, and technical assistance. Additionally, the Act aims to increase transparency by requiring the public posting of response times and state standards.
Yes· 3 of 7
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+6
The bill requires the Secretary to publish monthly response times and mandates that states post standards and reciprocity processes online.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+5
The bill expands and funds apprenticeship programs which are primary career paths for young adults.
Is this likely to create jobs?+5
The bill establishes a national apprenticeship system and provides grants to states to fund training and outreach.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-1
The bill authorizes $150,000,000 in annual appropriations for the apprenticeship grant program.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Accountability for Federal and State Agencies: The Secretary of Labor must make the average response times for program standards available online monthly, which allows for public oversight of how quickly agencies are processing registrations (Section 2, subsection b, paragraph 2, subparagraph C).
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Financial Support for Apprenticeship Activities: States will receive grants to fund apprentice training, including paying wages, providing technical assistance to sponsors, and conducting outreach to increase awareness of these programs (Section 4, subsection d).
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Standardized Program Approaches: The bill defines specific methods for skill acquisition, such as the "competency-based approach" which requires on-the-job learning, and the "time-based approach" which requires at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning (Section 2, subsection a, paragraphs 1 and 7).
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Improved Transparency of State Requirements: State apprenticeship agencies are required to post information online regarding state minimum wage requirements, safety standards, and instructions for completing documentation (Section 6).
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Clarification of Reciprocity: Agencies must make the process public regarding how a program registered in one state or by the Secretary can be registered in another state (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Penalties for Slow State Agencies: If a State apprenticeship agency takes longer than 90 days to respond to complete standards or longer than 30 days to respond to incomplete standards, the Secretary will deduct a percentage from that State's grant award for the following year (Section 4, subsection c, paragraph 3).
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Loss of Final Decision-Making Authority for State Councils: State apprenticeship councils will no longer have the final decision-making authority over program standards, nor will they be required to recommend them (Section 3, subsection a).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Young Adults+5Good For Low Income Households+4Good For Union Workers+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+6
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+5Reduces Government Spending-1
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+3
- Education And Technology
- Improves Student Loan Relief+2
- 4/28/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Bill CassidyRepublican · Louisiana