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HB186 • 2026

APPRENTICE LABOR IN PUBLIC PROJECTS

An Act relating to the use of apprentice labor in public construction projects; and relating to a report on the use of apprentice labor in public construction projects.

Housing Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK
Last action
2025-05-14
Official status
(H) L&C
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does not specify an effective date, only the last legislative action and offer dates.

Alaska HB186: Apprentice Labor in Public Construction

This law requires certain large public construction projects to use at least 15% apprentice labor hours and creates a system for reporting that data.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities or the Department of Administration to include apprentices on contracts worth $5 million or more if it is practical.
  • Sets a rule that no less than 15 percent of total labor hours must be performed by registered apprentices in listed trades.
  • Lists 23 specific job titles, such as electricians and carpenters, where apprentice work counts toward the requirement.
  • Requires state agencies to send project details and apprentice data to the commissioner of labor and workforce development.
  • Exempts projects from these rules if following them would cause the state to lose federal funding.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
  • The Department of Administration
  • Construction contractors working on large public projects in Alaska managed by specific departments
  • Apprentices enrolled in registered programs

Terms To Know

apprentice
A worker enrolled in a federally registered training program under federal law.
labor hours
The total time construction workers spend on a project for jobs that have minimum wage rates under state law.
construction contract
An agreement to build, repair, or improve public property like roads and buildings, excluding planning services, routine operations, or public housing projects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies if using apprentices is practical for the specific project.
  • Projects are exempt if following this rule would result in a loss of federal funding.
  • The effective date of when these rules begin is not listed in the provided text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-14 Min

    (H) Minutes (HL&C)

  2. 2025-05-14 Text

    (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled> -- Delayed to 15 min Following Session --

  3. 2025-05-14 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  4. 2025-05-12 Text

    (H) -- Testimony <Invitation Only> -- -- MEETING CANCELED --

  5. 2025-05-12 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  6. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE

  7. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) FN2: ZERO(DOT)

  8. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) FN1: (LWF)

  9. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) NR: STUTES

  10. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) DNP: MCCABE, MOORE, TILTON

  11. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) DP: MINA, CARRICK, EISCHEID

  12. 2025-05-05 1012

    (H) TRA RPT CS(TRA) 3DP 3DNP 1NR

  13. 2025-05-01 Min

    (H) Minutes (HTRA)

  14. 2025-05-01 Text

    (H) Moved CSHB 186(TRA) Out of Committee

  15. 2025-05-01 Text

    (H) TRANSPORTATION at 01:00 PM BARNES 124

  16. 2025-04-29 Min

    (H) Minutes (HTRA)

  17. 2025-04-29 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  18. 2025-04-29 Text

    (H) TRANSPORTATION at 01:00 PM BARNES 124

  19. 2025-04-24 Min

    (H) Minutes (HTRA)

  20. 2025-04-24 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  21. 2025-04-24 Text

    (H) TRANSPORTATION at 01:00 PM BARNES 124

  22. 2025-04-11 671

    (H) TRA, L&C

  23. 2025-04-11 671

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

APPRENTICE LABOR IN PUBLIC PROJECTS
An Act relating to the use of apprentice labor in public construction projects; and relating to a report on the use of apprentice labor in public construction projects.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0186b -1- CSHB 186(TRA)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0816\N

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 186(TRA)

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY THE HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

Offered: 5/5/25
Referred: Labor and Commerce

Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK
A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

" A n A c t r e l a t i n g t o t h e u s e o f a p p r e n t i c e l a b o r i n p u b l i c c o n s truction projects; and 1
relating to a report on the use of apprentice labor in public construction projects." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 36.05 is amended by adding a new section to article 1 to read: 4
Sec. 36.05.125. Use of apprentice labor in construction. ( a ) T o t h e e x t e n t 5
practicable, each construction contract that the Department of Transportation and 6
Public Facilities or the Department of Administration advertise s for bids that has a 7
contract award amount of $5,000,000 or more must require that n ot less than 15 8
percent of the labor hours on a project be performed by apprent ices in the following 9
occupations: 10
(1) boilermakers; 11
(2) bricklayers; 12
(3) carpenters; 13
(4) cement masons; 14
34-LS0816\N
CSHB 186(TRA) -2- HB0186b
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(5) culinary workers; 1
(6) electricians; 2
(7) elevator constructors and mechanics; 3
(8) equipment operators; 4
(9) insulation workers; 5
(10) ironworkers; 6
(11) laborers; 7
(12) mechanics; 8
(13) millwrights; 9
(14) painters; 10
(15) pile driving occupations; 11
(16) plumbers and pipefitters; 12
(17) roofers; 13
(18) sheet metal workers; 14
(19) sprinkler fitters; 15
(20) surveyors; 16
(21) truck drivers; 17
(22) tugboat workers; and 18
(23) welders. 19
(b) The commissioner of transportation and public facilities o r the 20
commissioner of administration shall provide to the commissione r of labor and 21
workforce development the follo wing information for each constr uction project 22
subject to (a) of this section: 23
(1) the name of the project; 24
(2) the dollar value of the project; 25
(3) the name of the prime contractor and contact information f or the 26
prime contractor; 27
(4) the name of each subcontr actor and contact information as 28
provided to the department by the prime contractor; 29
(5) the percentage of labor hours that will be performed by 30
apprentices; and 31
34-LS0816\N
HB0186b -3- CSHB 186(TRA)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(6) the occupation title of each apprentice used. 1
(c) The commissioner of labor a nd workforce development shall collect data 2
on the total apprentice hours work ed on each construction proje ct that is provided to 3
the commissioner under (b) of this section. 4
(d) This section does not apply to a construction project if a pplying the 5
requirements of this section to t h e p r o j e c t w o u l d c a u s e t h e s t at e t o l o s e f e d e r a l 6
funding. 7
(e) In this section, 8
(1) "apprentice" means an apprentice enrolled in a registered 9
apprenticeship program under 29 U.S.C. 50; 10
(2) "construction" means the process of building, altering, re pairing, 11
maintaining, improving, or demolishing a public highway, struct ure, building, or other 12
public improvement for any kind of real property other than pri vately owned real 13
property leased for the use of agencies; "construction" does no t include professional 14
and other services related to th e planning and design required for a construction 15
project, the routine operation of a public improvement to real property, or the 16
construction of public housing; 17
(3) "labor hours" means the tot al hours of work performed by 18
construction workers on a project in job classes subject to min imum wage rates under 19
AS 36.05.070. 20
* Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 21
read: 22
REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. The commissioner of labor and workforce 23
development shall, with the assistance of the commissioner of a dministration and the 24
commissioner of transportation and public facilities, submit a report to the legislature 25
identifying the percentage of apprentice labor hours in the occ upations listed in AS 36.05.125 26
that were used in each construc tion contract subject to AS 36.0 5.125 for the fiscal years 27
ending June 30, 2026, June 30, 2027, June 30, 2028, June 30, 20 29, and June 30, 2030. The 28
commissioner of labor and workforce development shall deliver t he report to the senate 29
secretary and chief clerk of the house of representatives on or before September 1, 2030, and 30
shall notify the legislature that the report is available. 31