SB 180: High Demand Apprenticeship Program; opportunities for apprenticeship sponsors to enter into apprenticeship program contracts with State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia; provide

Georgia's High Demand Apprenticeship Program currently allows only employer sponsors to enter contracts with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia to run apprenticeships and receive completion awards when apprentices finish their training. This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 20-4-151 and § 20-4-154 to add 'apprenticeship sponsors' as a category eligible to make these same contracts, receive the same completion awards, and be subject to the same limits on how many apprentices they can sponsor each year. The bill keeps the existing award caps ($10,000 per apprentice for contracts before July 1, 2024, and $5,000 after that date, plus up to $2,500 per apprentice 12 months into an apprenticeship) and the existing cap of ten apprentices per sponsor per year starting in Fiscal Year 2025. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Adds 'apprenticeship sponsors' alongside employer sponsors as entities eligible to contract with the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia under the High Demand Apprenticeship Program (O.C.G.A. § 20-4-151).
• Allows apprenticeship sponsors to receive the same contract completion awards as employer sponsors once an apprentice finishes the required training.
• Applies the same annual limit, up to ten apprentices per year starting in Fiscal Year 2025, to apprenticeship sponsors as already applied to employer sponsors.
• Extends the $2,500 per-apprentice award available 12 months into an apprenticeship to apprenticeship sponsors as well.
• Updates the program's rules and regulations section (O.C.G.A. § 20-4-154) to include apprenticeship sponsors in the terms of agreement with the board.

Apprenticeship sponsors and employer sponsors participating in Georgia's High Demand Apprenticeship Program, the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia, which administers the contracts and awards, and apprentices whose training is funded through these sponsor contracts.

By opening the program's contracts and financial awards to apprenticeship sponsors, not just individual employers, the bill could let more organizations formally partner with the state to place and fund apprentices, potentially widening access to the program's training and award money.

• Section 1 revises subsections (b), (d), and (e) and paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of O.C.G.A. § 20-4-151 to add 'apprenticeship sponsor' wherever 'employer sponsor' appears regarding contracts, completion awards, and eligibility limits.
• Section 1 keeps completion award caps at $10,000 per apprentice for contracts before July 1, 2024 and $5,000 for contracts on or after that date.
• Section 1 keeps the cap of ten apprentices per sponsor per year beginning in Fiscal Year 2025.
• Section 1 keeps the additional award of up to $2,500 per apprentice available 12 months after the apprenticeship begins, now open to apprenticeship sponsors too.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-4-154 to include apprenticeship sponsors in the rules governing the terms of agreement with the board.
• Section 3 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without approval.

1. 2025-04-28Effective Date
2. 2025-04-28Act 19
3. 2025-04-28Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-28House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-03-28House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-20House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-10House Second Readers (House)

• Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)Primary sponsor
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
• Max Burns (R, SD-23)
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-37)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
• Rick Williams (R, SD-25)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-29)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 4, 2025

   53 yea, 1 nay (0 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #151

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 28, 2025

   158 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 14 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #334

• apprenticeships
• workforce training
• technical college system
• job training funding