Bill · S. 4961· Senate(119-S-4961)
PATH Act
- Introduced
- 7/14/2026
- Last activity
- 7/14/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Martin Heinrich
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The PATH Act directs the Secretary of Labor to provide grants for the development of pre-apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades. These programs are intended to serve underrepresented populations, including racial minorities, women, veterans, and individuals from low-income or rural areas. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to nonprofit partnerships that include industry and labor organizations. The goal is to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship programs. The Secretary will provide the federal share of costs, which is set at 75 percent. The act authorizes $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 and subsequent years.
Yes· 3 of 15
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
The bill specifically targets individuals from low-income census tracts for economic self-sufficiency training.
Would women be better off under this?+5
The bill explicitly includes women as a priority group for the pre-apprenticeship training programs.
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?+5
The bill designates military veterans as an underrepresented population eligible for the funded programs.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Targeted Support for Underrepresented Groups: The bill focuses on helping specific groups, including racial minorities, women, military veterans, members of Federally recognized Indian Tribes, the long-term unemployed, and people from low-income census tracts (Section 2(13)).
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Career Preparation: Pre-apprenticeship programs are designed to teach the specific skills and competencies needed to enter a registered apprenticeship program (Section 2(8)(C)).
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Path to Economic Independence: Eligible entities must demonstrate the ability to help individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency (Section 2(c)(2)(B)).
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Financial Support for Students: Grant funds can be used to pay for the cost of training or education, and may also be used for participant stipends during work-based training (Section 2(f)(2)(A) and Section 2(f)(3)(A)).
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Educational Advancement: If a program is carried out by a high school, the model can lead to participants earning a high school diploma (Section 2(e)(4)(C)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Limited Program Duration: Initial grants are awarded for periods of no more than 3 years, with a possible 1-year extension based on performance, which may impact the long-term stability of a program (Section 2(b)).
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Requirement for Successful Placement: For a program to be eligible, there must be evidence that there are or will be sufficient openings in registered apprenticeship programs to ensure participants can actually be placed after completion (Section 2(e)(2)).
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 Low Income Households+5Good For Veterans+5Good For Women+5Good For African Americans+4Good For Native Americans+4Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Young Adults+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Gender Equality+5Improves Racial Equity+5Improves Poverty Reduction+4
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+5Improves Union Protections+3Improves Small Business Support+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+4
- Education And Technology
- Improves Student Loan Relief+2
- 7/14/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.