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AB-345 • 2026

Apprenticeship programs: approval process.

Apprenticeship programs: approval process.

Crime Education Labor
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Jackson
Last action
2026-02-02
Official status
From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify what happens after one year if the chief has not made a decision, leaving this detail uncertain.

Apprenticeship Programs: Approval Process

AB-345 sets rules to speed up the approval process for new apprenticeship programs in California, excluding building and construction trades or firefighter programs.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to confirm if an application is complete within 30 days after receiving it.
  • Gives conditional approval to a program that meets certain conditions if the chief does not make a final decision within six months.
  • Requires the chief to decide on a new apprenticeship program's approval or rejection within one year of receiving a completed application.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Apprenticeship sponsors, employers, and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards in California

Terms To Know

Division of Apprenticeship Standards
A part of the Department of Industrial Relations that oversees apprenticeship programs.
Conditional Approval
Permission for a program to start operating before it gets final approval, if it meets certain conditions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply to apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades or firefighter programs.
  • The bill does not specify what happens after one year if the chief has not made a decision.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-02 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

  2. 2026-01-31 California Legislative Information

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

  3. 2025-05-23 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Held under submission.

  4. 2025-04-23 California Legislative Information

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

  5. 2025-03-19 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (March 19). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  6. 2025-02-10 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on L. & E.

  7. 2025-01-30 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 1.

  8. 2025-01-29 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 345, as introduced, Jackson.
Apprenticeship programs: approval process.
Existing law provides for apprenticeship programs within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards within the Department of Industrial Relations, sponsored by specific entities and employers, and requires the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to perform various functions with respect to apprenticeship programs and the welfare of apprentices, including the approval of new apprenticeship programs. Existing law makes any person who willfully discriminates in any recruitment or apprenticeship program, as specified, guilty of a misdemeanor.
This bill would require the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to confirm the completeness of an application for a new apprenticeship program within 30 days of receiving the application. The bill would provide that, where the chief has not made a final determination on a completed application for a
new program within 6 months of receiving the application, the program shall have conditional approval to operate if it satisfies specified conditions, including approval by the United States Department of Labor. The bill would require the chief to make a final determination on an application for a new apprenticeship program within one year of receiving a completed application. The bill would provide its provisions do not apply to apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades or to firefighter programs.
Because the bill would expand the scope of an existing crime with respect to willful violations of provisions of the law related to discrimination in apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state.
Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF