Summary Workforce Legislative Trends 2024

K-12 and Higher Education

In recent years, this idea has spread to providing access to career-focused education opportunities. These opportunities include work-based learning, credential programs and even apprenticeships. To foster these programs, legislators have passed legislation that promotes career opportunities for both K-12 and postsecondary students. In addition, states continue to develop programs informing students of career education programs and funding financial aid programs that expand access to these programs.

One notable example of these changes is Florida House Bill 917. This bill requires the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Commerce and CareerSource Florida, to disseminate a statewide asset map of career and technical education. Additionally, this legislation encourages school boards to work with local workforce development boards to foster career and networking opportunities for students at career fairs.

Another example comes out of Louisiana. Senate Bill 293 requires the Board of Regents, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, the Louisiana State University System and various state departments to develop recommendations around workforce development solutions. The goal of this legislation is to provide paths for high school and postsecondary students to earn credit for work-based learning and internships. This legislation also requires these partners to develop an inventory of workforce programs in the state and create metrics on their performance.

Other Relevant Legislation

• California Assembly Bill 2179—Requires schools to inform parents and students of local apprenticeship opportunities when entering both 11th and 12th grade.
• Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1150—Creates the Grow Pennsylvania Merit Scholarship for students who are pursuing fields of study that lead to high-demand career opportunities in the state.
• Maryland Senate Bill 33—Requires high schools to inform students of employment and training opportunities in the same way they inform students of postsecondary education.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are work-based learning programs that include both a paid work and an educational component. These programs are a tried-and-true way of getting workers into a specific field and trained without a large financial burden. Apprenticeships have traditionally been prevalent in the trades, but recently, apprenticeship models have expanded into industries like health care, technology, teaching and the performing arts. Legislation enacted in 2024 demonstrates apprenticeships continue to be highly valued by legislators.

West Virginia passed some transformational bills regarding apprenticeship. The state legislature passed House Bill 5162 which created the state's Youth Apprenticeship program, allowing minors ages 16 and older to enroll in apprenticeship programs and gain credit for their participation in these programs. Another bill enacted in West Virginia was House Bill 5435. This legislation establishes a unique pipeline for registered apprentices to earn their associate degree in applied science.

Other Relevant Legislation

• Colorado House Bill 1439—Creates a new tax credit for employers who employ apprentices in new and emerging industries.
• Georgia Senate Bill 497—Revises the state's High Demand Apprenticeship Program and introduces the Public Service Apprenticeship Program. The Public Service Apprenticeship Program helps state and local government train and employ apprentices in government jobs.

Occupational Licensing

In 2024, health care practitioners like physicians, nurses and behavioral health professionals were the focus of a substantial portion of licensing reform. Continuous workforce shortages within the health care industry have spurred lawmakers to tap into foreign-trained talent pools to fill vacant positions. California Assembly Bill 1395, for example, creates a pilot program to allow up to 30 licensed physicians and dentists from Mexico to obtain a three-year nonrenewable license to practice medicine. Applicants must seek an appropriate three-year visa and social security number from the federal government within 14 days of being issued the medical license.

Several other states have enacted legislation increasing access to licensure for internationally-training physicians. Idaho House Bill 542 intends to remove barriers that prevent high-quality, internationally licensed physicians from filling vacancies in Idaho, including in rural and primary care settings, by eliminating unnecessary training duplication. Illinois House Bill 778 establishes, in collaboration with the Governor's Office of New Americans, a clinical readiness program to provide direct services to international medical graduate physicians seeking to reestablish their medical careers and obtain residency in the State.

Other Relevant Legislation

• Tennessee Senate Bill 1936—Issues a foreign training license of limited duration to an international medical school graduate after successful completion of an examination.
• Louisiana House Bill 972—Grants temporary permits and licenses to certain international medical graduates that have been granted a medical doctorate or "substantially similar" degree by an international medical program of good standing.
• Virginia House Bill 995—Issues a provisional license to a physician licensed in a foreign country for no more than two years, then a subsequent renewable two-year license if the physician practices in a medically underserved area.

States also refined how they handle individuals with criminal records who wish to obtain an occupational license. A handful of states advanced their strategies to reduce barriers to licensure, while other states increased requirements for background checks and fingerprinting.

A few states, including Arizona and Colorado, have focused on increasing accessibility for individuals with criminal convictions. Arizona Senate Bill 1367 implemented a pre-qualification standard to allow applicants to petition a licensing agency for a determination on whether their criminal record disqualifies them from obtaining a license. This process helps ensure that people with criminal records can devote their time and resources into occupations that will lead to gainful employment.

Colorado's House Bill 1004 creates a "time limit" protection for individuals with a conviction on their record. This protection creates a three-year period in which regulators can consider an applicant's conviction. The period begins on the date of conviction or the end of incarceration, whichever date is later. After the three-year period has ended, regulators must only consider the individual's application in the same manner as an applicant who does not possess a prior criminal record.

Other Relevant Legislation

• South Dakota Senate Bill 57—Allows applicants to present evidence demonstrating that the crime at issue does not directly relate to the relevant profession or occupation. Applicants can also present evidence of rehabilitation.
• Tennessee House Bill 1859—Prohibits the licensing authority from using a vague term, like "good moral character" in its consideration without also providing an explanation of how a prior conviction directly relates to an applicable occupation.

Additionally, many states have implemented new requirements for background checks and fingerprinting, particularly for medical-related occupations. Nebraska, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire have all made certain medical professions subject to criminal background checks as a condition of initial licensure and reinstatement. While Nebraska Legislative Bill 1214 applies this standard to a wide range of medical occupations, Oklahoma House Bill 3328 specifies the requirement for registered nurses and New Hampshire Senate Bill 371 focuses on the regulation of physicians.

Other Relevant Legislation

• Maryland Senate Bill 175—Requires applicants for an optometry license to submit to a criminal history record check through the Central Repository for a state and national criminal history record check.
• Pennsylvania House Bill 2200—Requires an individual applying for a license as a health care practitioner to submit a full set of fingerprints to the state police. The police shall submit the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Workforce Development Funding

In most state legislatures, funding is typically allocated to workforce development though general budget bills. In 2024, there was a noticeable increase in alternative funding mechanisms, like funds and grant programs, that are not always included in the budget process.

In preparation for the changing nature of in-demand jobs, Maryland created the Talent Innovation Fund through House Bill 1128. This fund will provide grant funding for job training around emerging industry sectors like cybersecurity, health care, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.

Another state that created a new workforce fund is Utah. House Bill 100 established the Workforce Initiatives Fund. This fund is funded through both interest and financial penalties levied in court. Money from this fund will be used to cover the costs for programs and initiatives implemented by the department for workforce development, programs that reinvest in the workforce and any other initiative that support the department, employers or workforce.

Other Relevant Legislation

• Massachusetts House Bill 5100—Provides funding for infrastructure, driving industry innovation as well as opportunities for economic development and job creation.
• Wisconsin Senate Bill 271—Creates the Commercial Driver Training Grant program to help cover the training costs for commercial truck drivers.

Studies and Evaluation

For the past few years, states have invested countless dollars in workforce development programs. States began offering these programs as an alternative to traditional postsecondary education where students earned high wages without the same amount of debt often incurred by attending a traditional four-year degree. As these programs spread, states have begun working to determine their efficacy through studies and program evaluation. There was a noticeable uptick in legislation enacted in 2024 that studies workforce programs or created various councils and task forces around workforce development.

One such example is Illinois. In 2024, the legislature passed Senate Bill 2907 which requires data transparency and collection for state funded workforce development programs. The goal of this legislation is to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of workforce development programs.

Colorado also authorized a study to analyze the costs to provide students with the opportunity to obtain college credit, industry credentials and work-based learning experience. This legislation, House Bill 1364, also requires the creation of the Colorado Statewide Longitudinal Data System to track outcomes for students and evaluate what programs are helping students most.

Other Relevant Legislation

• Oregon Senate Bill 1552—Creates the Youth Advisory Group for the Department of Education. This group is made up of various Oregon youth with different life backgrounds and pathways. This group will make recommendations to the Department of Education.
• Utah Senate Bill 122—Creates the Youth Apprenticeship Governance Study to design a framework and system for maximizing efficiencies and expanding youth apprenticeship opportunities.