SENATE, No. 2194
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Testa, Singleton, Greenstein and Amato
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program providing tuition fee waiver for certain apprenticeship courses.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Labor Committee on February 5, 2026, with amendments.
An Act concerning apprenticeship tuition fees and supplementing chapter 62 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
“Eligible person” means an individual 1who has not previously completed a pre-apprenticeship program and1 whose gross aggregate household income at the time of admission to a New Jersey public institution of higher education or county vocational school providing post-secondary vocational education 1[is below the State household median income] does not exceed 400 percent of the federal poverty level1.
"Gross aggregate household income" means the total annual income of all members of a household, from whatever source derived, including, but not limited to, pension, annuity, retirement and Social Security benefits received during the taxable year.
“Registered apprenticeship” means an apprenticeship in a program providing to each trainee combined classroom and on-the-job training under the direct and close supervision of a highly skilled worker in an occupation recognized as an apprenticeable trade, and registered by the Office of Apprenticeship of the United States Department of Labor and meeting the standards established by that office.
“State household median income” means the point that divides the gross aggregate household income distribution into halves, one-half with income above the median and the other with income below the median as determined by the United States Census Bureau American Community Survey. The median is based on the income distribution of all households, including those with no income in the State.
“Tuition” means the charges imposed by a New Jersey public institution of higher education or county vocational school providing post-secondary vocational education for enrollment at the institution or school.
2. a. 1[An] There is established a two-year tuition-free apprenticeship pilot program under which an1 eligible person shall be permitted to attend, tuition-free, courses available at any public institution of higher education or county vocational school which are qualified to serve as the classroom training or education component of a registered apprenticeship program in which the person is participating as a registered apprentice if:
(1) tuition costs are not covered by an employer through employment benefits;
(2) the person completes a 1New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application or a1 Free Application for Federal Student Aid each year within the established deadlines and has exhausted all financial aid assistance; 1[and]1
(3) the person retains employment as an active registered apprentice under the registered apprenticeship program and maintains satisfactory academic progress to qualify for renewal of the tuition waiver 1; and
(4) the person completes each course eligible for a tuition waiver under this section with a passing grade1.
b. The 1[State] Department of Labor and Workforce Development1 shall 1[reimburse a public institution of higher education or county vocational school] provide funding in an amount not to exceed $500,000 per year to public institutions of higher education or county vocational schools1 for the tuition cost of 1[each]1 eligible 1[person] persons1 who 1[enrolls] enroll1 in the institution pursuant to the provisions of this section. 1The department shall use any available funds provided to the State under the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. s.49 et seq.), or from funds that may be available from the $27,500,000 which was appropriated pursuant to the annual appropriations act for State fiscal year 2026 from the Workforce Development Partnership Fund for the purpose of funding the NJ Apprenticeship Network, the Career Accelerator Internship Program, the Workforce Development Policy and Evaluation Lab, the NJ Career Network, and such other priority workforce initiatives recommended by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.
c. No later than six months following the conclusion of the pilot program, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the results of the pilot program. The report shall include, but not be limited to, information on the number of individuals served, total program spending, program spending by public institution of higher education and county vocational school, and a recommendation regarding the continuation of the pilot program.1
3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the date of enactment.