Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

APPROVED                 CHAPTER
                                                                  JUNE 13, 2025                 306
                                                                 BY GOVERNOR              PUBLIC LAW
                                  STATE OF MAINE
                                          _____
                           IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                        TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                          _____
                                  H.P. 736 - L.D. 1117
           An Act to Strengthen Maine's Workforce Through Certified
                      Preapprenticeship Training Programs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §3213, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 705, §12, is amended
to read:
    6. Funding. As funds are available, the Maine Apprenticeship Program, through the
department and in consultation with the Maine Apprenticeship Council, as considered
appropriate and permissible by the department, shall make available grants to support
certified preapprenticeship training programs under this section.               A certified
preapprenticeship training program shall use the grants to provide meaningful support and
stipends to facilitate enrollment and participation in the program. Support may include
funding for child care, transportation, training materials, membership fees and costs, tools
and personal protective equipment and reimbursement of other expenses that may be
incurred by a student an individual to facilitate the student's individual's attendance and
participation in the certified preapprenticeship training program.; funding for assistance to
address obstacles to and to identify and access services necessary for successful
participation in the certified preapprenticeship training program; and funding for
facilitating an individual's readiness to commence on-the-job learning in a registered
apprenticeship program. Stipends may include cash payments. In allocating grants among
certified preapprenticeship training programs, the Maine Apprenticeship Program shall
give priority to programs that have demonstrated successful enrollment of students from
historically marginalized communities. allocate at least 51% of total grant funding to
support certified preapprenticeship training programs that have:
    A. Demonstrated successful engagement and enrollment of and completion by
    individuals from historically marginalized communities and successful placement and
    enrollment of and completion by individuals from historically marginalized
    communities in registered apprenticeship programs;
    B. Consistently placed individuals in registered apprenticeship programs that result in
    a total package value of no less than $35 per hour upon graduation from the registered
    apprenticeship program, based on Maine Apprenticeship Program evaluations as
                                   Page 1 - 132LR1671(03)
    required pursuant to section 3204, subsection 2. On January 15, 2026 and each January
    15th thereafter, the minimum total package value amount under this paragraph must be
    increased by the increase, if any, in the cost of living. The increase in the cost of living
    is measured by the percentage increase, if any, as of August of the previous year over
    the level as of August of the year preceding that year in the Consumer Price Index for
    Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, for the Northeast Region, or its
    successor index, as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of
    Labor Statistics or its successor agency, with the amount of the minimum total package
    value increase rounded to the nearest multiple of 5¢; and
    C. Demonstrated the provision of strong, comprehensive support services essential to
    ensure success, either through the use of funds provided under this subsection or
    through workforce funds provided by a different source.
Certified preapprenticeship training programs that cannot produce proof that graduates are
employed in the field of their preapprenticeship after a period of 6 months following
successful completion of their certified preapprenticeship training program or are
represented by a labor organization are ineligible for grants under this subsection.
Funding for grants to support preapprenticeship training programs must be awarded to
certified preapprenticeship training programs with strong direct entry links with registered
apprenticeship programs through a competitive process administered by the department
through the Maine Apprenticeship Program and to certified preapprenticeship training
programs that train individuals for priority sectors for high-wage, in-demand jobs.
Funding for grants to support certified preapprenticeship training programs may also be
used for program development, support and staffing for grantees.
     Sec. 2. Department of Labor; study. The Department of Labor shall, within
existing resources, conduct a study reviewing certified preapprenticeship training programs
and registered apprenticeship programs in the State and in other states. The study must
include an analysis of the programs reviewed, including but not limited to the funding
methods of the programs. The department shall invite relevant stakeholders to participate
in the study. The department shall report its findings, including any suggested legislation,
to the Joint Standing Committee on Labor by December 3, 2025. The joint standing
committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature
based on the report.
                                    Page 2 - 132LR1671(03)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 306: 26.3213