(a) In this section, "Program" means the Apprenticeship Career Training Pilot Program for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals. (b) There is an Apprenticeship Career Training Pilot Program for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in the Department. (c) The purposes of the Program are: (1) to develop a well-trained, productive construction workforce which meets the needs of the State's economy; (2) to encourage employers to hire formerly incarcerated individuals in the construction industry; and (3) to help employers offset additional costs, if any, associated with hiring apprentices. (d) (1) The Department shall administer the Program and provide grants on a competitive basis to employers that meet the requirements under paragraph (2) of this subsection. (2) An employer is eligible to receive a grant if the employer employs one or more formerly incarcerated apprentices who: (i) have been employed by the employer for at least 7 months; (ii) are engaged in a building or construction trade; (iii) are enrolled in the first year of an apprenticeship program registered with the Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning under § 11-405(b) of this title; and (iv) live in Baltimore City or Dorchester County. (e) (1) As provided in the State budget, the Program shall award grants to eligible employers. (2) For fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023, the Governor shall include in the annual State budget an appropriation of at least $100,000 for the Program to: (i) provide grants to eligible employers; and (ii) cover administrative costs. (f) The amount of a grant awarded by the Program under subsection (e) of this section shall be based on the number of apprentices that an eligible employer employs who meet the description in subsection (d)(2) of this section. (g) A grant shall consist of a maximum of $1,000 for each apprentice that an eligible employer employs who meet the description in subsection (d)(2) of this section. (h) The Department shall adopt regulations necessary to carry out this section, including regulations to: (1) develop requirements for grant applications; (2) develop a process for reviewing grant applications and awarding grants to eligible employers; and (3) determine a cap for the maximum amount of a grant that an eligible employer may receive each year. (i) On or before September 30 each year, the Department shall report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, the following information for the immediately preceding calendar year: (1) the number and types of employers that received grants under the Program; (2) the grant amount received by each employer; (3) the total number of apprentices and number of apprentices by employer that participated in the Program; and (4) the progress in achieving the purposes of the Program specified under subsection (c) of this section.
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