SB 119 Use of apprentices for public projects

02/21/2023
VOTE: NO – Died In Committee
Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/SB119
This bill 9 requires the Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Administrative Services, and any state contracting agency that uses funds from the Act of 2021, in connection with public improvement, to study the use of apprentices in public improvement and public works projects.

The American Rescue Plan Act (Act) was passed by Congress in 2021 to address a variety of issues raised by the pandemic. In part, the Act provided resources to state, local, and tribal governments to invest in infrastructure and address revenue losses caused by the pandemic. House Bill 5006 (2021) and House Bill 5202 (2022) addressed the use of Act resources within Oregon. Additionally, House Bill 3011 (2021) required specified Act projects to employ apprentices. Oregon law governs apprenticeship and training programs. The State Apprenticeship and Training Council (Council) is tasked with enforcing Oregon apprenticeship and training laws.

If it were an equal opportunity program, it would be based on need and not color of skin. SB 119 begins to institute ‘systemic racism’ into the ‘Apprentice program’ by tracking the percentage of people of color, members of historically disadvantaged communities, and women.

‘Racial Quotas’ leads to ‘systemic racism’ in government contracts.
Focus on constructing an Apprentice program predicated on ‘Equal treatment under the law, fairness and the content of the character of every applicant’. Oregon’s Trades are highly respected and shouldn’t be muddied.