Sponsors (2)
The bill expands federally funded apprenticeships and preservation training to boost jobs, credentials, and cultural-asset conservation in underserved areas, but does so at added federal cost and with compliance and reporting requirements that may burden small providers and shift grant resources geographically.
Unemployed workers in high-unemployment and underserved communities gain paid on-the-job training and apprenticeships in preservation trades, increasing job skills and near-term employment prospects.
Students and trainees receive industry-recognized certifications and apprenticeship training aligned with Department of Labor standards, improving credentials, job quality, and the portability of skills for skilled-trade careers.
Tribal, Native Hawaiian, and local governments receive targeted grant funding to preserve cultural resources while building local workforce capacity and specialized preservation skills (masonry, timber framing, archival conservation).
Taxpayers face increased federal spending to fund grants for apprenticeships and preservation training, potentially raising budgetary outlays without offsets in this section.
Requirement to comply with DOL apprenticeship standards and collective-bargaining expectations can raise project complexity and costs, which may discourage smaller nonprofits and educational institutions from applying.
Grantees must collect and report measurable outcomes (participant counts, certification completions), creating additional administrative burden that could divert staff time from program delivery.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive Interior Department grant program to fund training, registered apprenticeships, and skilled-trade development for historic preservation and conservation.
Introduced January 21, 2026 by Pablo José Hernández · Last progress January 21, 2026
Creates a new competitive grant program at the Department of the Interior to fund workforce training, registered apprenticeships, and skilled-trade development for the preservation and conservation of historic buildings, objects, archives, and archaeological sites. Grants may go to states, tribes, local governments, accredited schools, nonprofit preservation groups, and others; priority is given to areas with high unemployment and to rural or underserved communities. Grantees must follow Department of Labor apprenticeship standards for trade training and comply with applicable collective bargaining agreements, and the Interior must track participant and certification outcomes.