Amends TCA Title 50.

ON APRIL 26, 2021, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 771, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites this bill to enact the Tennessee Registered Apprenticeship Program Act. Office of Apprenticeship This bill establishes the Tennessee office of apprenticeship within the department of labor and workforce development. No later than December 31, 2021, this amendment requires the commissioner of labor and workforce development to submit to the U.S. secretary of labor and the administrator of the national office of apprenticeship, an application to recognize the Tennessee office of apprenticeship as a state apprenticeship agency. The Tennessee office of apprenticeship will have the following duties and powers: (1) Serve as the state apprenticeship program registration agency; (2) Establish labor standards necessary to safeguard the welfare of apprentices; (3) Establish rules regarding the registration of pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and apprentices; (4) Resolve disputes between parties to an apprenticeship agreement; (5) Develop a nationally recognized state apprenticeship completion credential; (6) Establish competency-based apprenticeship frameworks based on the regional and statewide compendia of valuable credentials; and (7) Approve apprenticeship programs that are mandated by state or federal law as a result of the sponsor receiving public funds. This amendment authorizes the commissioner of labor and workforce development to: (1) Appoint a director for the Tennessee office of apprenticeship; and (2) Promulgate rules on behalf of the office of apprenticeship as necessary to effectuate the intent of this amendment. Any such rules must conform to the published apprenticeship guidelines in federal regulations. Apprenticeships This amendment authorizes a person operating a pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship (a "sponsor") to apply to register a pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship with the office of apprenticeship. A registered apprenticeship must include, at a minimum: (1) On-the-job training from an employer; (2) Related technical instruction from an apprenticeship intermediary; and (3) The opportunity for an apprentice to earn a portable, nationally recognized industry credential. A sponsor is responsible for the administration and supervision of on-the-job training and related technical instruction for each apprentice in the registered pre-apprenticeship or registered apprenticeship. Tennessee Apprenticeship Council This amendment establishes an 11-member Tennessee apprenticeship council to advise the office of apprenticeship and provide community outreach and education regarding the benefits of apprenticeship. The council will consist of the following members: (1) The commissioner of labor and workforce development, or the commissioner's designee; (2) The commissioner of education, or the commissioner's designee; (3) The chancellor of the Tennessee board of regents, or the chancellor's designee; (4) The executive director of the Tennessee higher education commission, or the executive director's designee; (5) Three gubernatorial appointees representing employer organizations, at least one of whom represents a private sector employer organization and one of whom represents a public sector employer organization; (6) Three gubernatorial appointees representing employee organizations, at least one of whom represents a private sector employee organization and one of whom represents a public sector employee organization; and (7) One gubernatorial appointee who is a public representative knowledgeable about apprenticeships and apprenticeable occupations. The initial terms of council members will be staggered, and subsequent appointees will be appointed to five-year terms. Affect on Other Laws This amendment specifies that its provisions do not: (1) Require a sponsor of a pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship to register with the office of apprenticeship; (2) Affect funds duly distributed to a state agency, college or university, or other entity receiving state or federal funds in support of apprenticeship activities; or (3) Affect the department of education's status as the eligible agency to receive and administer career and technical education funding under the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.