AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 19 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.
Summary
HB263 amends Delaware’s Apprenticeship and Training Fund provisions in Title 19. The bill keeps the special fund in place and continues to direct money into it from payments under Title 29 and any other legislative appropriations or transfers. It preserves the basic structure of the fund, including investment by the State Treasurer and annual allocation by the Department of Labor, but clarifies and updates how the money is distributed and administered.
Under the bill, 20% of the fund, after administrative costs, goes to the Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship and Training Section to promote registered apprenticeship and other occupational training and to support pre-apprenticeship programs. The remaining 80%, after administrative costs, is directed to support related technical instruction for registered apprenticeship programs, including new technical instruction in high-demand crafts, and to support pre-apprenticeship programs. The bill also caps administrative spending at 15% of annual deposits and prohibits the fund from being used to replace existing state funding. Its synopsis states that the Department of Education is removed from the funding process because apprenticeship funding is administered through the Department of Labor.
The bill’s impact is to shift apprenticeship funding administration more squarely under the Department of Labor and away from the Department of Education, while preserving state support for apprenticeship-related instruction and pre-apprenticeship pathways. It affects the operation of the Apprenticeship and Training Fund, the allocation of state apprenticeship dollars, and the agencies responsible for distributing those funds. It also reinforces that the fund is intended to supplement, not supplant, existing state appropriations.
The available voting history suggests broad support: the House passed HB263 on third reading by a 37-0 vote. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, so there is little evidence of public contention in the materials supplied. The bill’s language and synopsis indicate a technical administrative realignment rather than a major policy dispute.
The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the administrative role of the Department of Education versus the Department of Labor in handling apprenticeship-related funding. The bill resolves that issue by removing the Department of Education from the process and consolidating administration with Labor. No opposing arguments are documented in the provided record.
Impact
HB263 amends Title 19 of the Delaware Code governing the Apprenticeship and Training Fund, clarifying fund deposits, allocation percentages, administrative limits, and the prohibition on supplanting existing state funding. It removes the Department of Education from the funding distribution process and places administration with the Department of Labor, while continuing support for registered apprenticeships, related technical instruction, and pre-apprenticeship programs.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively and without recorded opposition in the materials provided. The House passed it unanimously on third reading, and there are no committee transcripts showing controversy or divided views. The overall tone is administrative and supportive of apprenticeship and workforce training programs.
Contention
The only notable issue reflected in the bill text is which agency should administer apprenticeship funding. HB263 resolves that by eliminating the Department of Education’s role in the process and confirming that the Department of Labor administers the fund. No other substantive disputes, stakeholder objections, or competing viewpoints are documented in the provided record.