Davis sponsors bipartisan bill to ramp up skilled trades apprentices

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) aims to increase the number of participants in America’s skilled trade apprenticeship programs.

The Leveraging and Energizing America’s Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act, H.R. 5972, which Rep. Davis introduced on Nov. 15 with original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for employees who participate in qualified apprenticeship programs, according to the text of the bill.

“We need to do more to get folks into the trades and other skilled jobs,” said Rep. Davis. “Our bipartisan bill will create a new tax credit for employers who hire new apprentices. With so many job openings in our economy right now, the federal government should be all-hands-on-deck to make sure those jobs get filled. The LEAP Act is one way we can do just that.”

H.R. 5972 would offer a federal tax credit for hiring new apprentices who are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Davis’ staff.

Additionally, the bill would address the fact that the average age of apprentices is currently as high as 29 years by offering a tax credit of $1,500 for apprentices who are under the age of 25. The tax credit for apprentices over 25 is $1,000, the summary says.

The measure has been referred for consideration to both the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Rep. Davis originally introduced the bipartisan, bicameral LEAP Act in March 2019.