An Act to amend and reenact §§ 2.2-2035, 2.2-2041, 2.2-2046, 2.2-2472, 23.1-2907.2, 40.1-6, and 54.1-1131 of the Code of Virginia and to amend and reenact the seventh enactment of Chapter 624 and the seventh enactment of Chapter 625 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023, relating to Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; workforce development programs; apprenticeship program.
HB693 reorganizes and expands Virginia’s workforce development framework by further defining the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement as the state’s lead workforce agency and by strengthening the Virginia Workforce System and related data-sharing infrastructure. The bill directs the Department, the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, local workforce boards, and other agencies to coordinate workforce, education, training, and employment services more closely, including through annual and biennial planning, reporting, dashboards, and interagency memoranda of understanding. It also formalizes the Virginia Workforce Data Trust and authorizes broader sharing of encrypted workforce-related data for program evaluation, reporting, service coordination, and research, while imposing confidentiality and destruction requirements for shared data.
The bill also makes targeted changes to apprenticeship and trades licensing law. It requires tradesman apprenticeship programs to be registered apprenticeships meeting or exceeding U.S. Department of Labor standards and prior Virginia standards, and it bars state agencies and localities from sponsoring or recognizing tradesman apprenticeship programs that do not meet those requirements. It further requires statewide uniform related instruction for registered apprenticeships in high-demand occupations when coursework is otherwise unavailable, and it updates references in the licensing exemption statute to reflect the new Department of Workforce Development and Advancement rather than the former Labor and Industry structure.
In addition, HB693 transfers regulations and program administration from the Virginia Community College System, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Department of Labor and Industry to the new Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, preserving existing regulations until the Department adopts its own. The bill also exempts the Department’s initial rulemaking from the Administrative Process Act, while still requiring public notice and a 30-day comment period before final adoption. It amends several code sections to align agency names, duties, and oversight responsibilities with the new workforce-development governance structure.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history is generally favorable, but not unanimous. The bill advanced through subcommittee and committee stages with strong support, passed both chambers, and ultimately the House agreed to the Senate substitute. However, recorded floor votes show meaningful opposition in both chambers, indicating some concern about the scope of the restructuring, data-sharing provisions, or regulatory changes even as the bill moved forward.
The main points of contention appear to be the breadth of the new data-sharing regime, the centralization of authority in the Department and the Governor’s designee, and the apprenticeship/trades provisions that set stricter standards for state and local sponsorship of programs. The bill’s rulemaking exemption from the Administrative Process Act may also have drawn scrutiny, since it speeds implementation while limiting the usual regulatory process. Supporters likely viewed the measure as a modernization and consolidation effort to improve workforce outcomes, while opponents appear to have questioned the extent of administrative control and the policy tradeoffs involved in the new framework.
HB693 substantially revises Virginia law governing workforce development, apprenticeship administration, and related program oversight by shifting responsibilities to the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and by updating multiple code sections to match that reorganization. It expands interagency data sharing for workforce evaluation and coordination, creates or reinforces statewide planning and reporting duties for the Virginia Workforce System and local boards, and imposes new standards for registered apprenticeship instruction and tradesman apprenticeship sponsorship. It also transfers existing regulations from prior agencies to the new Department and preserves them until replaced through new rulemaking.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported as a workforce modernization measure, as shown by repeated favorable committee actions and final passage in both chambers. At the same time, the recorded votes include a notable minority of no votes in the House and Senate, suggesting that while the bill had clear momentum, it was not universally embraced. The absence of committee transcript discussion limits insight into specific arguments, but the vote pattern indicates general support with some reservations about the bill’s scope and implementation.
The most likely areas of contention are the bill’s expanded authority for statewide workforce data sharing, the requirement that data be centralized and managed under the Governor or designee, and the restrictions on how agencies and localities may sponsor or recognize apprenticeship programs for tradesmen. Some legislators may also have objected to exempting initial Department rulemaking from the Administrative Process Act, even with notice-and-comment safeguards. These issues would primarily concern lawmakers focused on privacy, local control, regulatory process, or the practical effects on apprenticeship providers and workforce partners.