HB 613: Administrative Services, Department of; preferences in certain public works construction contracts to a contractor participating in a registered apprenticeship program; provide

Georgia runs a High-Demand Apprenticeship Program that gives tax credits or compensation to employers and sponsors who train apprentices in high-demand careers, and the program is set to expire unless extended. This substitute bill amends the law governing that program (O.C.G.A. Title 20, Chapter 4, Article 7). It requires the Office of Workforce Development to publish two new pieces of information on its website each year: a list of apprenticeship and employer sponsors that received a full contract award, and a list of individuals who completed a registered apprenticeship program. Both sponsors and individuals can opt out of being named. The bill also extends the program's scheduled repeal date from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2030, keeping the program running for three additional years. It also makes a minor formatting fix, changing 'High Demand' to 'High-Demand' in the statute.

• Requires the Office of Workforce Development to publish a list of apprenticeship and employer sponsors that received a complete contract award, unless a sponsor opts out.
• Requires publication of a list of individuals who completed a registered apprenticeship program, unless the individual opts out.
• Extends the repeal date of the High-Demand Apprenticeship Program from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2030, keeping the program active longer.
• Corrects the program's name in the law from 'High Demand' to 'High-Demand' apprenticeship program.

The Office of Workforce Development, which must publish the new reports; employers and apprenticeship sponsors participating in the program, who can choose whether to be publicly named; and individuals who complete registered apprenticeships, who can opt out of having their names published.

Georgians would get more visibility into which employers and sponsors benefit from apprenticeship funding, while participants keep control over whether their names appear publicly. Extending the program to 2030 means apprenticeship incentives keep operating for three more years instead of expiring in 2027.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-4-153 to add two new annual reporting items: a list of sponsors receiving full contract awards and a list of individuals who completed apprenticeships, both with opt-out provisions.
• Section 1 also updates the term 'High Demand Apprenticeship Program' to 'High-Demand Apprenticeship Program' for consistency.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-4-156 to move the program's automatic repeal date from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2030.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
3. 2025-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
4. 2025-02-27House Second Readers (House)
5. 2025-02-26House First Readers (House)
6. 2025-02-24House Hopper (House)

• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)Primary sponsor
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• William Werkheiser (R, HD-157)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)

• apprenticeship programs
• workforce development
• job training
• public reporting