U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) introduced the LEAP (Leveraging and Energizing Americans’ Apprenticeship Programs) Act, a bipartisan plan that would boost the youth workforce and save on federal printing costs, in the House on Friday.
The legislation is co-sponsored by Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), and an identical bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Davis said the bill would offer federal tax credit for hiring younger workers in skilled labor, such as builders, welders and pipefitters. The credit would apply to new apprentices who are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state agency.
The credits would be paid for by stopping the federal government from printing publications that are available online, except for those intended for senior citizens, Medicare recipients and in communities with limited Internet access.
“Right now, more than 10 million Americans remain unemployed while about 4 million jobs sit vacant because of a lack of adequately skilled workers,” Davis said. “This commonsense, bipartisan legislation will take an essential step toward combating these significant problems by providing an incentive-driven approach to get more companies to promote and offer apprenticeship programs and get more Americans trained and into the workforce.”